


The Long Road Home

by Looking_to_the_Moon_Tonight



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Bruises, But David helps him out, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, David Acting as Max's Parental Figure | Dadvid (Camp Camp), David's mom finally makes an appearance, Foster Parents, Max finds trouble, Max grew up in the foster care system, Max runs away, No shipping here, Will Add Tags As We Go, but still there, dadvid, not in great detail
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:28:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 26,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23247025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Looking_to_the_Moon_Tonight/pseuds/Looking_to_the_Moon_Tonight
Summary: After camp ends, Max ends up going home to his foster parents and finds that it's hard to adjust to no one giving a shit about you after an entire summer surrounded by people who care. He makes a decision that will forever change his and David's lives: to run away from his 'home' and go to the only adult he knew cared. Of course, this is all going to be done without said adult knowing anything until the last minute.
Comments: 109
Kudos: 333





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> So, once again, y'all managed to drag me into a fandom that I wasn't even a part of and got me to write fanfic. Five days of reading non-stop Dadvid and a few episodes of the actual show has led to this. Enjoy.

_ Ten Years Ago, _

_The road was covered in flashing lights and broken glass, a depressingly familiar sight during the colder months. People ran to and fro, directing those on the way home around the two pieces of mangled metal that sat in the middle of it all._

_There was very little to be salvaged among the wreckage. A red truck was caved in the front, it’s driver somehow unharmed in the chaos. The smell that came from him was undeniable and it was clear from that, and the bottles that lined the floor of the truck, that this man was to blame for it all. They would haul away the truck and take the man into custody once all were certain that he wouldn’t pass from an unseen complication._

_The second vehicle, a much smaller car, was in much worse condition. One side was demolished, the driver sitting hunched over and long gone before help had arrived. Many feet away lay his passenger, thrown from the vehicle throw the front window. She too lay lifeless, a gruesome display of blood, glass, and black ice until an unknown stranger covered her from prying eyes._

_It was simple task for most: carry out the survivor, remove the dead, clear the road for travelers once more. At least, until a shrill cry came from the totaled car nearby. A baby, no more than a few months old and completely unnoticed during the first check of the car, sat safely in his seat. Glass from the nearby window covered him, mostly unharmed due to the heavy layers of clothing surrounding him. It was determined that the woman must have been unbuckled due to the child, an attempt at comforting him before the crash occurred._

_They carried him away from the only family he had ever known and ever had, taken away long before they should have been. They carried him into the safe arms of those who saved him and into an uncertain and cruel future._

_ Present Day, _

The weeks dragged on after camp ended, Max being more isolated than he ever had been before. His foster parents were rarely home and, when they were, they wanted nothing to do with him. He spent the entire week before school started locked away in his bedroom, living on the secret stash of snacks he kept hidden under the floorboards. His phone and Mr. Honeynuts were hidden away in fear that they would take them as well, since his computer and most of his other things were missing when he got back from camp. It was a miserable existence, hiding the late-night phone calls with his friends and trying not to make enough noise to bring attention to himself.

It got a little bit better when school started, he could actually see and speak to other people at the very least, but he had a reputation and a mouth that constantly got him into trouble. Within the first week he had detention and was on the verge of suspension if he kept up the behavior. His foster parents weren’t pleased when they got the phone call and Max was still nursing the bruises from their punishment.

He glanced out the window, debating once again if it was too high for him to climb out of. He was only on the second story and, while he had never tried to climb out, the tree nearby was close enough for him to reach. It would be so easy to pack up a bag and climb out the window. So easy to climb down that tree and just run wherever he felt like running, to be free for the first time in his entire life. A soft sigh and he turns his head once more, his focus turning to the locked door. If he ran, where would he go? Neil and Nikki lived on the other side of the state, his foster parents’ families had long since cut them out of their lives, and anyone related to him… it would be impossible to find them, not when he didn’t know where he came from in the first place.

“Fucking hell…” he murmured, resting his head on his knees. He knew he couldn’t stay here, but he didn’t have anywhere to go either. His choices were simple: either wait for someone to notice that he was in distress and call CPS or wait for his foster parents to go a little too far and end his miserable existence.

He stood and went for his hiding place, needing a few minutes with Mr. Honeynuts. That should calm him down a little bit, hopefully enough to give him a better idea than waiting to be taken away or waiting to die. He was careful with the floorboard, terrified that the little squeak it gave would give away his hiding spot. Tired eyes glued to the door for a full minute, expecting his ‘dad’ to come rushing over to complain about the racket.

When he was sure the coast was clear, he carefully lifted Mr. Honeynuts out. Holding the old bear close, he looked over all he had hidden away. There was his phone, its charger, about seventy-five dollars he had saved up over the years, three chocolate bars, a jar of peanut butter, a half sleeve of stale saltine crackers, and four pictures from camp that David had given him. He reached for those, leaving his old bear to fall into his lap.

The first one was his favorite, though he would never admit it out loud. It was just Neil, Nikki, and him sitting around the fire, laughing about something he had long forgotten about. It was strange seeing himself smiling, but it just fit with his friends’ wide grins.

The second one was of the whole camp, their ‘official’ picture for the summer. It was a mess to be honest. Preston had a black eye, courtesy of Nurf during their camp activity that day. Said bully was in the back, threatening Neil. Nikki had jump in at the point, the girl trying to jump over Neil to get at Nurf. She ended up accidentally kicking Harrison in the face, sending him flying into Ered. Gwen looked to have just noticed what was going on in the photo, reaching out the catch the falling campers before they hit the ground. David was in the front, doing his best to keep Max in place, unaware that he was making it that much easier to slip worms into Space Kid’s collar. He could see them just starting to come into the kid’s vision on the photograph. Dolph was sitting next to Space Kid, trying to put some distance between the two of them. Nerris was sitting next to him, the only one seemingly unaware of the chaos going on around her. He knew it didn’t last, remembering how Harrison, Ered, and Gwen had ended up falling on top of her after the photo was taken.

The third one was just the trio again, this time running from David. Another one of their pranks, going by the odd shade of blue that covered the counselor’s face. The three of them were laughing again, with Max running backwards to give David the middle finger. Going by the expression of David’s face, he was chasing them because that’s what they wanted him to do, not because he was upset. Gwen must have taken this one and given it to David afterwards. Or used it as a bit of blackmail before handing it over.

The last one… the last one was one he tried not to look at a lot. It was just of David and him, maybe a week before the end of camp. David had decided to do kind of a free day for the camp, letting them decide on what to do as long as they stayed out of trouble. It was one of the few days he had behaved that entire summer. He had decided to hang back at camp while everyone else took off towards the water. David had stayed with him while Gwen kept an eye on everyone else. They sat around in the counselors’ cabin, watching some silly movie that was laying around. He remembered this one a lot clearer, as it had been David’s suggestion to send Gwen a picture of what they were doing when she texted him. David was grinning widely in the photo, holding the camera far away to get both of them in the shot. Max was on his shoulder, tongue out and finger up high. It had been one of the few moments where he forgot about the world at home and just let go.

He pondered over the last photo, staring into David’s face. As much as he despised the man in the beginning, he was one of the few adults he felt like he could trust not to fuck up the important stuff. He couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing now… Probably out in the middle of nowhere, getting excited about trees and shit.

He turned over the photos, tracing the messages on the backs. Neil had signed the first photo, leaving his phone number and a promise for better things next summer. Somehow David had gotten everyone to sign the group photo. Nikki had left a message on the back of the third, nearly unreadable except her number. The fourth… He had never gotten the nerve to look at the back, expecting some sappy message from David about how great of a kid he was and how excited he was for next summer.

Maybe that was what he needed to get out of this funk, something so David that it would just make him forget how hopeless it all was. He flipped it over, unsurprised to see the tidy cursive he expected from David. But there was no sappy message, nothing at all like that. Just an offer he couldn’t refuse.

‘Hey Max! Hope to see you next summer, but if you ever need a shoulder to lean on or a person to talk to, reach out!’ Underneath was David’s phone number, as if he hadn’t stolen it already with how often he snatched his phone away over the summer, and an address that didn’t seem hopelessly far away. Sure, it didn’t say ‘if you need a place to get away from your awful family, swing by!’, but he was sure David wouldn’t mind if he put a few words in his mouth. At least the man would give him a place to stay for a few days before contacting CPS.

Mind made up, Max reached for his bag. This was going to be a long trip and once he left here, he knew he would never be back.


	2. Neil and Nikki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max is about to get onto the road and his friends try their best to help him get to David's... As well as convince him they care a lot more than he thinks.

It was fucking sad to see how easy it was to pack his entire life in a bag. He realized it every time one of his foster families finally gave up on him and every time they sent him to a new home. Shaking his head, he convinced himself that it was better this way. The less stuff he had, the less time it would take for him to be ready to go. He could hit the road quicker and put more distance between himself and his foster family before anyone noticed. 

He gave the room one final look over, not wanting to leave anything behind that his fosters could either pawn or use to find out where he was going. His secret stash was packed away, along with all the clothes that fit him. The bed was made, a pillow dummy hidden under the sheets just in case they came to check on him. The closet and the dresser were empty and everything looked to be in place. He reached for the door, poking his head out into the hallway. It was almost four in the morning according to his phone and the entire house looked deserted. The light was out in their room and, going by how loud their party was earlier, they wouldn’t be getting back up until late in the afternoon. He could try the front door, he was sure they wouldn’t hear if they were as messed up as he thought they were, but the door was pretty loud and who knew who was sleeping on their couch… No, better to stick to the plan.

“Fuck it, we’re doing it.” he muttered under his breath, turning his attention to the window.

Before he knew it, he was on the ground and no one was the wiser. He didn’t bother to celebrate the small victory, heading straight for the road without ever looking back. Now, if he remembered right, there should be a bus stop nearby…

* * *

“Max, you did what?!”

“I know you heard me the first time Neil.” he said, rolling his eyes, “Don’t start making me repeat the obvious shit or I’m gonna hang up and leave you to freak the fuck out.”

“You ran away from your house!”

“Why do you sound so surprised? I told you how shitty it was and I’m sure anywhere would be better than there.”

“No, I’m just worried man. It’s still a pretty long way from your place to David’s. Who knows what could happen to you on the way?”

“Who the fuck cares? If I make it to David’s, fucking great! If I don’t, well at least I don’t have to deal with this shit anymore.”

“I care Max and so does Nikki. David would probably lose his mind if he knew that you were putting yourself in danger to get to him. I don’t know why you don’t just call him so he can get you…”

“Because it isn’t so simple, alright?!” he huffed, “I don’t want David seeing me like this. Now, are you going to help me figure out which fucking bus to take or not?”

“Alright, alright! Just give me a minute to find the right map.”

“How do people figure shit out with this?” Max mumbled, tracing the lines on the map, “There’s so many different lines, how the fuck am I supposed to use this?”

“I think I’ve got it figured out. You need to get on the green bus and take it all the way to the next station. You’re going to have to change routes six times. So, green to blue, blue to white, white to red, red to yellow, yellow to orange, and orange to purple. Once you’re on the purple bus, you need to take it to the Second Street stop. David’s house should be a few blocks away from there.”

“You’re gonna have to send me those instructions. There is no fucking way I’ll remember all that.”

“I can do that.”

“Okay, I’ll text you when I get to the next station.”

“Be careful out there.”

Max didn’t bother replying, ending the phone call. It still made him feel strange to hear that people actually cared about what he was doing. A good kind of strange, but something he definitely didn’t want to focus on for long.

The green bus was at the other end of the station and it looked like they were ready to start boarding. He sighed and began to run, weaving between the few groups of adults present. None of them paid any attention to the young boy, children without parents were a frequent sight this early in the morning with school. None of them cared that he was alone, that he was clearly boarding a bus that went nowhere near the schools, or that it seemed everything he had was tucked away in his bag.

The bus driver seemed a little suspicious when he came onto the bus, but a quick lie about staying with an uncle while his parents were out of town got him to leave him alone. Two dollars later, he was on his way out of the city with a transfer ticket.

He sighed and settled into the seat. It was going to be a long day; might as well get some rest…

* * *

By the time Nikki called, he was just nearing the end of the blue bus route. He’d been expecting a call, God knew Neil couldn’t keep a secret to save his life and Nikki would give him hell if she knew he was planning some amazing adventure without her. So, he had texted her before he switched buses at the last station, letting her in on the plan and swearing her to secrecy.

“Max! Where are you now?!”

He sighed. He should have known she would skip the bullshit and get right into what mattered. “I think I’m about to get to the Pleasant View station.”

“Pleasant View? Wow! You’re already so far away!”

Max hadn’t even noticed how far away he’d gotten, having been focused on how much farther away David’s house was. Pleasant View definitely wasn’t close to West Hagda. He wasn’t sure how far it was, he had barely lived out there for a week before that foster family decided they couldn’t handle him, but he remembered how long the trip to their house and back was. Greenwood was much farther than that based on the signs he was seeing.

“Yeah, it’s real simple to get away when people don’t give a fuck where you’re going.”

“I care where you’re going!”

“I know Nikki, but only you and Neil know what’s going on right now. And if either of you call the cops or David, I will make your life a living fucking hell, you hear me?”

“I know, I know! Sheesh, you’re grumpier than that snake we found in camp!”

“You mean the poisonous one that bit you? Or that huge one that shouldn’t have been living there anyway?”

“Both. Both were grumpy and you’re grumpier.”

“Damn, if I’m so fucking grumpy, why bother to call me?”

“Because I was worried about you. You didn’t answer any of my calls for a week and I thought you were dead… I don’t like thinking about you being dead.”

“I don’t like that either… Look I’m… I’m sorry. About the phone calls. I didn’t mean to scare you like that, but…”

“But those meanies you lived with would have broken your phone if they heard it. I know, I just got scared.”

Max glanced up as the bus pulled into the station. “Look, I’m okay for right now. I’ll text you when I get to David’s, I got to get onto the next bus.”

“Okay… Be careful, alright?”

“I’ll be fine Nikki. Don’t you worry about me.”

The phone call ended and a little girl miles away stared at her screen. She wasn’t scared by a lot and the stuff people tended to be scared of drew her in like a magnet. But this… This scared her. Max always found trouble or it always found him. He was alone in a big city, without his friends or their counselors. He was alone without Neil or her to help and that helpless feeling made her feel cold all over.

“Be careful out there.” she whispered, “I don’t want to lose any more friends.”


	3. David

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max finally swallows his pride and texts David when he realizes he's in trouble. David finally comes into the picture and offers his home to the angry ten-year-old.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, I really hope you're enjoying this! I'm sorry if the characters seem a little out of character, I'm still learning how to write them. Still, enjoy!

The sun was just starting to set when Max reached the final bus station. It had been a long day, with people taking more notice of him as the day went on. Most of them left him alone after he told them the lie he told the first bus driver, but others were more persistent. They insisted on calling his ‘uncle’ and telling him where he was; to wait until he showed up to get him, but he was quick on his feet in these situations. He built up on that lie time and time again until they finally left him alone. It was a relief to get to the last station because he was sure that people were getting a lot more suspicious of him with each station he stopped at. He took out his phone, opening the group message that Neil started.

**_Max: I’m at the last station. Should be at David’s soon._ **

**_Nikki: Tell David we said hi when you see him!_ **

**_Neil: Text us when you get there. Let us know how it goes._ **

**_Max: Alright you nerd, I’ll text you. Anyone looking for me?_ **

**_Neil: No one’s reported you missing. Probably won’t be noticed until you’re supposed to go back to school._ **

**_Max: Great, just how I hoped it would go._ **

**_Nikki: Can we visit you at David’s house? You’re a lot closer to us now._ **

**_Neil: Hold on Nikki, we don’t even know if he’s gonna let Max stay._ **

**_Max: He’ll let me stay, at least for the night. If he says no, at least I can see about busing out to one of you guys._ **

**_Nikki: Pick my house! My mom won’t even know you’re here!_ **

Putting away his phone, he headed for the final bus. He hadn’t thought about what he would do if David didn’t let him stay. There was no way he could get a job, no one would think about hiring a ten-year-old, and he doubted that his foster family would take him back after this stunt. He’d end up back in foster care, the last fucking place he wanted to be. It was always too loud, filled with kids just like him. The ones who had seen to much, had gone years with a family to truly call their own, the broken ones that would stay in the system until they aged out.

Sure, there was always the chance that somebody might take pity on him and open their home to him, but with his track record… He’d be left in the group home to rot until they didn’t need to take care of him anymore. David was his last shot at avoiding all that.

He got on the bus, feeling uneasy as he took his seat. Glancing around, he quickly spotted the source of his discomfort. An older man was sitting towards the back. Normally this wouldn’t bother him, there were plenty of people who road the bus that were just like him. But he had spotted him before he had boarded the red bus and it seemed that the man was focused solely on him. He stayed near him at the station, made sure to take a seat where Max was clearly visible to him, but not so close that it would alert people that he was watching. He fixated his focus to the front of the bus. All he had to do was get off at the right stop and get as much distance between himself and the man as quick as he could. Hopefully he could reach David’s house before the creep could make a grab for him… Or he could try to save his ass before the creep even tried.

He quickly pulled up David’s number, hoping that he was home. Fuck surprising him, right now Max needed him to get him out of the trouble he was sure he was in.

**_Max: David, it’s Max. I really need your help right now!_ **

Glancing backwards, he noticed the man moving to a seat a little closer to Max. God damn it, this wasn’t supposed to be happening! Not after a day of running and hiding, not when he was so damn close to getting the fuck away!

His phone gave a faint ‘ding!’ and he was more than relieved to see David responding.

**_David: Max! What’s wrong?_ **

**_Max: Look, don’t be mad at me, but I think I really fucked up. Like, I couldn’t have fucked this up any worse if I tried._ **

**_David: Are you okay? What do you need me to do?_ **

**_Max: I’m okay for right now, but I need you at the bus stop closest to your house. The one on Second Street. I’ll be there in ten minutes. Just pretend to be my uncle, I need this old creep to back the fuck off!_ **

**_David: You’re out by my house? Why in the world are you in Greenwood?_ **

**_Max: You said that if I needed anything, to reach out. Well, I’m reaching out now and I need your fucking help!_ **

**_Max: Please!_ **

**_David: I’ll be there in a few minutes. Is there anything else you need?_ **

**_Max: Just be there and be ready to fake being my uncle._ **

Max put away the phone, ignoring the last ding as he focused on making sure he didn’t miss his stop. He could feel the man’s eyes burning a hole into the back of his head. How didn’t he notice him earlier? Had he been following him the entire time? What did he want from him?

They sat in a tense silence until the sign above announced the Second Street stop was approaching. Max could see the stop and wanted to jump for joy. David was there, leaning against his old car. The boy reached for the rope, pulling it as hard as he could before heading to the front. The older man followed, sending a shiver down Max’s spine.

As soon as the doors open, Max rushed forward with a grin on his face. “Uncle David!” he shouted, wrapping his arms around his legs.

“Max!” he said, his smile nowhere near as fake as Max’s, “It’s good to see you little buddy. Did you have a good trip?”

“It was okay, super long and boring though.”

He could feel the old man still behind him and he knew David saw him as well. “Let’s get you home buddy, I’m sure you’re exhausted after such a long day. Next time I’ll make sure I get the day off to come get you, okay?”

Max nodded, more than relieved to get into the car. He could see the old man finally turn away, probably to head for another bus station. “Oh, thank fucking God.” he said, flopping back against the back seat, “I was starting to think that fucker would never leave.”

“Language.” David said, focusing on the road.

“Fuck off Camp Man.” he muttered, rolling his eyes. He stayed quiet for a moment, watching the houses go by. “Thanks for coming and getting me. He’s been following me since Rocky Ridge I think.”

“I’m just glad to see that you’re safe.” he said, glancing in the rear-view mirror to look at the boy, “Do you mind if I ask why you’re out in Greenwood?”

Silence filled the car before Max found the guts to speak. This was David, the one who drove him all the way home after summer camp, the one who took him out for pizza when his ‘parents’ never showed, and the one who just saved him from being kidnapped at the bus station. He could be honest, at least about this. He would make sure he was safe for the time being.

“I was looking for you.” he admitted, looking down at his feet, “I saw your message on the back of the picture you gave me and I just couldn’t stay at their house anymore. I didn’t know how to get a hold of Gwen and Neil and Nikki were too far away to help, so I figured…”

“You figured you could come to me for help?” David finished when the boy went silent once more. A nod was the only response he got.

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“I thought if I did, you wouldn’t come. I mean, West Halga isn’t close at all and I thought you’d try to pull the “but they love you, they’re your parents” bullshit, which isn’t true at fucking all because they’re just my foster parents and they’ve never given a damn about me since they got me!”

“So you thought that you could avoid all that by coming to me?”

“Yes! And you better not send me back, if I even think you’re thinking about it I’ll chop off your balls and catch the next bus to Nikki’s place!”

“I wouldn’t dream of it Max.” David says, smiling softly at him through the mirror, “You’re more than welcome to stay at my place.”

“Thank Christ…” he said, relaxing slightly.

“But we need to make sure we do this right. I know you don’t want to go back, and something must have happened to make you run away, but we have to tell the authorities what is going on.”

“No fucking way!” Max shouted, sitting straight up again, “They’ll take me away and put me in a group home! That’s what I was fucking trying to avoid!”

“Max, language!” David said, “I never said I would let them take you away. I’ll make sure that you can stay with me, it shouldn’t be too much of an issue seeing that I’m a registered foster parent… If that’s what you want, of course.”

“It’s better than going to the home at least.” he muttered.

“That’s the spirit!”

They pulled up to a small house surrounded by flowers. Max wasn’t the slightest bit surprised that this was David’s house, though he would have expected to find it in the middle of nowhere instead of the suburbs. “Now, I know it isn’t much, but I’m sure you’ll like being here before you know it.”

“Doubt it.” he muttered, beginning to doubt his decision to reach out.

David pretended he didn’t hear the boy and lead him to the front door. “Have you eaten anything today Max?” he asked as he tried to unlock the door.

“A chocolate bar and some crackers with peanut butter.” he said, looking behind him nervously in case the old man decided to follow their car when they weren’t looking, “I’ll be fine, don’t eat a lot anyway.”

“Nonsense! I’ve got some spaghetti leftover from dinner; it shouldn’t take too long to heat it up.”

The door finally swung open and Max was surprised at how bare the place was. There was a couch in the living room with a T.V., but nothing else. He could see a little fold out table with different style chairs around the corner in the kitchen. “Again, I know it isn’t much, but Gwen’s trying to help me fill it up with stuff again. I lost a lot of it during a fire in my last place…”

“It’s cool, one of foster families didn’t have shit when I got there. At least there’s a couch to sleep on.”

“You don’t have to sleep on the couch, I’ve got a guest room you can take for now until we can set up an actual room for you.”

Max looked up at him, a little skeptical. “Are you sure?”

“Of course! Gwen helped me set it up after we got my room situated, she stays there sometimes but since she’s gone home to D.C. there isn’t anyone who uses it.”

He nodded and looked around again. “Where is it?”

“Right down the hallway, second door to the left.” David said, pointing down the dark hall, “My room is right across from it, the first door on the left is the bathroom.”

David let him run off to put away his things before letting his face fall. This was not what he was expecting tonight. He knew Max had it rough at home, it was clear by the way he acted on the last day of camp, but he never thought he would run away! It was clear why he would do, going by the few bruises he could see on the boy’s face and neck. He would have to ask Max if it would be okay to photograph those. It would help to have that kind of evidence at hand when they removed Max’s custody from his current guardians.

He shook his head, plastering his smile back on his face. He could worry about all those things tomorrow. For right now, he had a little boy to feed.


	4. Bruises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max has a lot to think about and David notices the bruises on his camper.

The guest room wasn’t too bad. For being the room that Gwen spent most of her time in when she visited, it didn’t scream that she stayed here. It was painted a light gray and had a bed with red covers. A small desk was in the corner and a closet opposite of the bed. The walls were void of any teen werewolf calendars and vampire posters, just a few paintings of nature he was sure David or Dolph had made. He sat his bag on the bed before hopping up next to it. It was soft, something he wasn’t very used to. He wondered how long David would let him stay. It sounded like the man wanted to keep him here for a little while, but how long would it be before he messed it up? Before the man broke and saw that nothing he did would ever change how fucked up he was?

Max shook his head. This was David, not his fucking foster parents. He had seen Max in some fucked up lights over the summer. He knew what he was capable of, he knew how cruel and senseless he could be when he was upset, and he still hadn’t given up on him. He was the only person who put up with him, who wanted to be around him no matter how he was feeling. He wouldn’t give up until he was singing that fucking camp song along with him, smiling ear to ear like him.

His mind made up, Max began to unpack. It didn’t take very long, all he had to do was put his clothes in the closet, put his phone and charger on the desk, and Mr. Honeynuts on the bed. The snacks and the left-over money stayed in his bag for now, an emergency fund in case he had to run again. While David wouldn’t give up on him so easily, CPS could easily put an end to their arrangement. The moment they tried to take him away, he’d be on the road again.

He was brought out of his thoughts as the smell of pasta began to fill the air. As much as he wanted to deny it earlier, he was starving. Food was hard to get once he got home, sometimes the only meal he got was lunch at school. He wandered out the room, following the scent to the kitchen.

* * *

David was just putting the plate down at the table when Max walked into the kitchen. He smiled reassuringly at him, causing the boy to immediately put up his scowl. He didn’t want David to pity him. He had survived this long without the older man, he didn’t need to feel bad about the past.

“There plenty more if you’re still hungry.” he said, fiddling with his hands, “Or I can make you something else if you don’t like it!”

Max didn’t say a word. He didn’t really know what to say anymore. He knew David cared, it was the whole reason he ran to him, but he didn’t understand why he cared. Not wanting to think too hard on the subject, he took a seat and began to eat.

The food wasn’t that bad, it was a million times better than the slop that Quartermaster made them over the summer. “If you can fucking cook, why did you let Quartermaster poison us with his shit all summer?”

“Oh, I couldn’t do that!” he said, taking a seat next to Max, “That’s his job! Besides, if I ever tried to come into his kitchen and cook, he would have stabbed me! He’s done it before.”

He nodded, not putting it past the crazy groundskeeper. It made sense with how much he seemed to hate David, though that could have just been due to the red-head’s personality.

David let him eat in silence, simply letting his presence relax him a little bit. Max was here, he was safe, no one would be able to hurt him while he was here. He could help him and give him everything he deserved… Scratch that. He couldn’t give him everything he deserved. Max deserved a house that wasn’t almost empty, he deserved to have a room that was his alone, he deserved a loving father _and_ a loving mother. Most of all, he deserved someone who could take so much better care of him than a struggling camp counselor. But he was here and the people who could give him all those things weren’t, so he would have to do for now.

He let himself check over Max again once he knew the boy was focused on his dinner. His eyes immediately fell onto his neck. There was an ugly bruise that looked like a hand print there. Another bruise was on the boy’s cheek, hidden by his hoodie when he had first arrived. While Max certainly didn’t have the healthiest weight while at camp, he could tell that he had lost even more in the few weeks he had been away. His cheek bones were more pronounced than before, and he could only imagine how bad it was underneath that hoodie of his. He was dirty, his clothes stained with mud and what he really hoped wasn’t blood. How had no one noticed? Or not care enough to help someone so in need of it?

“What are you looking at?”

David was thrown out of his thoughts, focus back on Max. “Sorry, just zoned out a little bit.” He said, plastering on his smile once more, “Did you get enough to eat?”

A little more than half the plate was gone. “Yeah… Thanks.”

“No problem!” he said, picking up the plate, “What do you want to do now? I know I don’t have a lot, but the T.V. works if you want to watch something.”

Max frowned, looking around. “Do you have a washer or something?” he asked, “I really need to clean my hoodie.”

“It’s in the closet across from the bathroom, but it’s not working right now. How about you go get a shower and I’ll wash it in the sink?”

“Sure, I guess.” he said, hopping down from his seat. He went to take off the hoodie but froze once he grabbed the hem. David had already seen some of the bruises, he knew he couldn’t hide the one on his cheek or on his neck, but then he would see how bad his arms were. The rest of his clothes were filthy too and he would want to wash them too, but there were even more under those. He wasn’t ready to let David see those; he wasn’t ready to talk about what happened just yet. He needed more time; he needed more time!

“Hey buddy.” David said, crouching down to Max’s level, “Do you have clean clothes with you?” A silent nod was his only response. “How about you go get into those and leave your dirty clothes by the door? Then you can get into the shower while I get started on your clothes.”

David had noticed the panic, the fear in Max’s eyes as soon as he touched the hoodie. It wasn’t hard to figure out why he was fearful, he had probably been told over and over not to show anyone the bruises. So, he gave him an out, a way to get what he wanted while keeping his privacy. He could see Max relaxing once again, so he stood. “Go on little buddy, I’ll come get your stuff once I have dinner put away.”

Max rushed down the hallway and David let his smile fall. It must be bad if he was so scared to let him see. What had happened within the house to make his favorite camper so afraid?


	5. Memories and Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max finally gets to shower, but not before the bruises and scars bring back memories he rather not have. David cleans Max's clothes and realizes what he's gotten himself into. Also: a phone call with Gwen! (Who is probably ooc, but is going to be David's voice of reason.)

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, Max couldn’t help but stare at himself. The newer bruises on his chest where deep shades of black, blue, and purple. One was almost the perfect imprint of his foster father’s boot, right below his rib cage. There were older bruises as well, some from the day he got home from camp that were finally starting to fade, others turning a sick green or yellow color. His legs were a bit better, but he could see the bruises from when he curled in on himself during his punishments. They made a morbid painting of abuse and pain that had followed him his entire life.

His eyes drifted to the scars. The latest fosters didn’t leave any of those on him, preferring to use their fists over everything else. But he could still see the faint scars from his second foster home, when his foster brother tried to cut him open. He could see the scars from the cigarettes his fourth foster family smoked. There was one on his temple, very well hidden by his hair. No one could see it, but he always knew where it was. He couldn’t ever forget the fear he felt when the third foster father brought down his whiskey bottle on his head.

What would David do when he saw all of them? Would he get angry when he saw all the bruises? Would he cry when he saw the scars? No, Max knew that David would cry when he saw what had happened to him. He would try to make it better, even though all they could do was to wait for them to fade away. There would probably be hot chocolate involved, coffee if he could convince the older man to make some, and he would insist on taking him to a doctor. Or the police, since he was so determined to do this the legal way. They would probably end up going to both, one to make sure his fosters couldn’t get him back and the other to make sure there was no underlying damage.

Max shook his head, trying to snap out of his thoughts. He didn’t want to remember the past and all the terrible things that had happened to him. He didn’t want to think of what they would have to do tomorrow; he didn’t want anyone else to see the bruises and the scars. All he wanted was to take a warm shower, get his hoodie clean, and forget that all of this had ever happened. David’s house was a fresh start. He was determined to make the most of it.

* * *

David only went to grab Max’s clothes when he heard the shower start, wanting to make sure he didn’t invade his privacy. They were filthy and… had Max still been wearing his Camp Campbell shirt this entire time? It certainly looked like it hadn’t been washed since the day he left, and he wouldn’t be in the wrong for assuming that Max’s foster parents didn’t provide many other choices. He took a calming breath and headed for the kitchen sink. Once he got the clothes cleaned, then he could focus on figuring out what to do from here.

He went through the pockets first, not wanting to ruin anything of Max’s. He found the chocolate bar wrappers in his pants, quickly throwing them away. In the hoodie… there was the picture that David had given him with his personal message on it. Had he kept it close while he was on the buses? He couldn’t help but smile at it, enjoying the look that was on Max’s face. It was his favorite picture, despite the crude finger Max had given the camera. Proof that he had helped him that summer, proof that Max could relax and just be a normal kid. He placed it on the counter for now.

Once he knew the pockets were empty, he quickly got to work. The dirt he got out quickly. It was something he was familiar with, given how dirty his own clothes could get when camp was in session or he was doing outdoor activities with his students. The other stains, which he knew for certain were blood now, were a bit more difficult. He scrubbed out what he could before grabbing some hydrogen peroxide out of his first aid kit. Normally he would save this for wounds, but it worked just as well for getting out stubborn blood stains. He would have to thank Gwen for teaching him that the next time he called her.

David was just putting the clothes into the dryer when Max came stumbling out of the bathroom. He was still in long sleeves, but he could clearly see some bruises on his wrists that he hadn’t seen before. Pretending that he didn’t notice, he gave a bright smile. “Feel a little better now that you’re clean?”

Max nodded, rubbing sleepily at his eyes. The warm water had made him relax to the point where all he wanted to do was sleep.

“That’s good buddy.” he said, not missing the scowl Max sent his way, “You look exhausted…”

“Because I fucking am David…”

“Go get some rest. In the morning I’ll see about whipping us up some pancakes, does that sound good?”

Max paused for a moment, looking hopefully at him. “Can we put blueberries in them?”

“Of course!”

He smiled, small but genuine, before heading back to the guest room. David watched him go before getting back to work. There was a lot of things he needed to do, stuff he needed to figure out as quickly as he could to ensure Max would be allowed to stay here. He really needed to figure out the living room situation, it wouldn’t be a good first impression if the social service worker walked in to a nearly empty room, and he would have to look into renovating the extra bedroom into a space just for Max. He would also need to make a quick run to the store once he knew the boy was asleep to get blueberries and some extra things for Max. They would have to go to the police station in the morning and he would have to see if Dr. Atkinson had an opening to see Max.

There was so much to do, and he really didn’t know where to start. Plus, there was no way he could finish it all tonight or by himself… Gwen. Even hundreds of miles away, she would be able to help him figure out what to do.

He dialed her number, waiting impatiently for her to pick up. It was late, sure, but he knew Gwen. She would be up.

“David, why the fuck are you calling me this late?” she asked, “Don’t you go to bed at nine?”

“Not tonight!” he said, trying to veil the panic in his voice as the night’s events came crashing down on him. He was harboring a runaway in his house; Max was in his house covered in bruises and he hadn’t even checked to see if he was reported missing! If someone saw him come into his house and recognized him as a runaway, he would be in so much trouble! They would take Max away and he would go to jail and he would lose his teaching position and possibly his counselor position as well and he would never see his kids again and **_he would never see Max again…!_**

“David! Calm down and breathe!” he heard Gwen shout, “I can’t help you if you can’t calm down!”

He took a deep breath, not having realized that he had delved into a panic attack. “Max is in my house!” he said, wincing before he remembered to quiet his voice, “He’s in my house and sleeping in the guest room!”

“What?” she asked, “Why is Max at your place? Doesn’t he live seven or eight hours away?”

“He ran away from his house.” he explained, collapsing onto the couch, “He took five or six buses to get from West Halga to my house. I didn’t know he was on his way until he was almost to my house and I’m pretty sure the only reason he told me was because he taught some stranger was going to kidnap him! Gwen, he’s covered in bruises and he’s even skinnier than he was at camp!”

“Do you think that his parents hurt him?”

“He told me that his foster parents didn’t care about him, but I think it’s pretty safe to assume that they hurt him.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I promised Max that I wouldn’t let him go back or let CPS put him into a home, so the plan is to get custody over him.”

“David…”

“No, I have to do this! Max came to me, he trusted me to take care of him and give him a safe place to stay. He needs me right now! I know he deserves so much better, but I’m what he’s got!”

“Look, I know you’re dead set on this. I’m not going to try to talk you out of it, but you have to think clearly about this. You’re going to have to go to the station tomorrow and let them do their thing.”

“I was already planning on doing that. We’re heading down there after breakfast. I was going to see if Max would let me take pictures of the bruises for evidence. They’ll ask to do that at the station anyway, but I thought…”

“He’d be more comfortable with you taking them instead of some strangers?”

“Yeah, but… He went to take his hoodie off in front of me and completely zoned out. I could see he was scared, that he was remembering something. I really don’t think he wants anyone, much less me, to see the bruises he was hiding.”

“David, just relax. We both know Max isn’t the easiest kid, but we both know him. Just give him his space for now and he’ll come to you when he’s ready. He trusts you a lot more than you think. Ask to take the photos, but don’t pressure him to tell you exactly what happened if he lets you.”

“But what about after? Even if I do all that and they let Max stay with me, I don’t have anything for him. The spare bedroom is not ready to be his, the washing machine is still broken, the living room is bare, and money’s going to be tight until I get my paycheck.”

“I think it’s time you swallowed your pride and asked your mom for help.”

“Gwen!” David hissed, rising to his feet, “You know as well as me that I can’t do that! I said too much and did too many things to ask for that kind of help!”

“And didn’t your mom call almost every night we were at camp to check on you? Didn’t you both forgive each other for what you did?”

“I mean, yes… But…”

“She told you to call her if you needed anything, just like you told Max to call you. If she thinks this is too much, then that’s fine. At least you tried. I think you’ll find that she’ll be happy to help you out though.”

David sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’ll call her once we finish at the station.”

“Call her David, don’t tell me you will and never do it.”

“I will, I promise!”

“Okay. I’ll see about getting some time off to come see the two of you. We can go Goodwill shopping again and see what we can find for Max.”

“Oh, thank you!”

“It’s no problem, just keep your cool and I’ll be there to help as soon as I can.”

“Alright Gwen. Do you want me to call you after we get everything settled with the authorities?”

“I’ll be at work, so send me a text. I’ll call you tomorrow night.”

“Thank you again, I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here to help.”

“You’re welcome. Go get some sleep David.”

The phone call ended, and David sunk back down onto the couch. Thank God he had one friend he could always turn to. Now all he had to do was get through the police interview tomorrow, call his mom, and wait for Gwen to show up. He groaned, throwing his head back. Tomorrow was going to be a nightmare.


	6. Nightmares and Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of David's past with his mom is revealed. Max realizes he scared his friends and does some very un-Max like things. David also curses a little bit to make a point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really have no idea how kids would react in this situation, so I just guessed. Enjoy!

The sun was just beginning to rise when David forced himself out of bed. He normally woke up early, but he found himself unable to sleep. Every time he fell asleep, he would wake up with nightmares. When he closed his eyes all he could see was Max on the ground, bloody and dead because he didn't make it to the bus stop quick enough. Or he would see his mother, her normally cheerful face twisted into rage, screaming at him to leave her alone and that he was no longer her son. It was a struggle not to scream each time and he eventually had given up on sleep all together. He was exhausted, but at least he hadn’t woken up Max with his nightmares.

“I might as well start on the pancakes.” he muttered, making his way to the kitchen.

After he had gotten off the phone with Gwen, he had taken a minute to think on what she had said. He knew his mother would want to help. She had been so worried about him over the summer and had been trying for weeks to convince him to meet up to talk. If he was being honest, he really did want to fix things with her. She had been his best friend growing up and they had been so close… Until his father had re-entered his life. If only he had listened to her, if only he hadn’t confronted her about what really happened when he was still so angry, maybe they would still be that close now.

He had pushed those thoughts aside. The situation with his mom would have to wait a little bit longer. They both were okay, with roofs over their heads and in good health. Right now, he needed to focus on Max. Once he knew that he was safely in his custody, then he could focus on his mom.

Surprisingly, Max was up just as he was finishing up the pancakes. He couldn’t help but smile at him. The boy looked adorable, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with one hand while the other dragged Mr. Honeynuts along the floor. “Hey there buddy!” he said, “I was just about to finish these up. Are you hungry?”

He nodded before looking around. “Do you have any coffee?”

“Not right now, the one I had here was Gwen’s.” he explained, “After breakfast, maybe we could see about getting you a cup?”

“You’re going to let me drink coffee? I thought you were worried about it stunting my height?”

“Well, you really shouldn’t drink it very often. But you’ve had a long couple of weeks since camp ended and I doubt that you’ve had a cup since you left, so I think you’ve more than earned it.”

David knew Max hadn’t taken the coffee machine home with him. Neil had taken it apart a few days before the end of camp, trying to figure out how to make the machine work better. Max had been pissed when he found out and had been downright furious when it still wasn’t fixed on the last day. Neil had promised to fix it soon and send it to his house whenever he had it working again…

“Have you talked with Neil or Nikki?” he asked as he put a plate of pancakes in front of him, “I’m sure they’re worried sick if you haven’t written them.”

“I was talking to the fuckers on the way here.” he said, putting Mr. Honeynuts in the chair next to him, “Neil helped me figure out which buses to take and I called Nikki to let her know I was okay. I told them I would… Shit! I forgot to tell them I made it! Shit, shit, shit!”

Max hopped down from his chair, rushing back to the guest room. David was left standing there, clueless as to what was happening. He came back a moment later, frantically texting on his phone. “Fuck…” he muttered, looking up to David.

“What happened?” he asked, crouching down.

“I told them I was running away to your house.” he explained, attention turned back to his phone, “I promised them I would text them at every station and when I got to your house. I fucking forgot to text them when I got here last night, and they thought I got kidnapped or some stupid shit.”

“They knew that you were coming?”

“Of fucking course they did! I figured if some stupid shit did happen to me, they would tell someone. I… Look, if any part of this conversation gets back to them, I will smash your teeth in, you hear me?”

“Of course, Max.”

“I didn’t want to have to worry about what happened to me. Nikki was already losing her shit because I couldn’t write her before I left the house and Neil… Neil was worried too. He told me to just call you and wait, but I didn’t listen. I thought that if I got into a wreck or if some asshole did murder me or something, they could tell someone and not have to fucking sit there, wondering what happened.”

David pulled him into a hug. He was unsurprised when he felt Max start to fight it. “You shouldn’t have had to think like that. No one, much less a kid your age, should have to worry about dying and leaving your friends behind.”

Max continued to struggle for a moment more before finally relaxing into his grip. “I thought I was gonna die on that bus.” he admitted quietly, “That guy… He was just waiting for us to be alone; I know it. I… I was scared.”

“It’s okay that you were scared.” he said, “I would have been terrified at your age if I had been in your shoes. But you were so brave and quick on your feet. I doubt I would have thought to call an adult.”

He snorted, burying his face into David’s shoulder. The young adult could feel the first set of tears soaking into his shirt. How many times had Max been alone and afraid, but unable to find anyone to comfort him? How many times did he have to put on a brave face and continue as if nothing happened? “You’re safe now. I won’t let anyone, or anything hurt you if I can help it.”

“You can’t promise me that.” he growled, pushing away from him, “You don’t know what’s going to happen today! They might take me away, throw me into a home! You might never see me again and there’s nothing you can fucking do to stop any of it!”

David let him yell. He knew Max pretty well, or at least thought he did, and he had seen what happened when he bottled everything up. Besides, any kid would be a bit upset by now. His entire world had been turned upside down and now the only familiar thing he had was at risk of being taken away. He was afraid of what would happen, though David doubted he would admit again so soon. So, he let the boy scream and shout until the tears replaced them.

“I won’t let that happen.” he said steadily once Max let him take him into his arms again, “I told you when we were at camp that I cared because somebody fucking has too. Now… Now I care because I fucking want to. I want to help you and I want to see you safe. Even if CPS decides to place you in a group home for now, I will not stop fighting until you’re back here. It doesn’t matter if it takes weeks, months, or years, I want you to be here. I want this to be your home and I want you to be my family. I care about you Max. No matter what happens, I won’t stop fighting for you.”

“You’re a fucking sap.” Max hiccupped into his chest, trying to get himself under control again. He didn’t like this at all; he didn’t feel like he was in control. Crying wasn’t his thing; he had been taught over and over again not to cry. It was too loud and distracting. But David wasn’t mad about him crying… He seemed to even encourage it with how his hug became tighter when his sobs grew louder. “This doesn’t go any farther than you and me, okay?”

“Okay.”

They stayed like that until Max gathered himself up, wiping away the last of his tears. “Sorry about your shirt.” he muttered; the yellow fabric absolutely drenched in tears.

“It’s fine Max, nothing a good scrub in the sink can’t get out.” he said, rising to his feet, “Go ahead and eat your pancakes and text your friends. I’ll go get changed and then we can figure out how we want to handle everything today.”

He nodded and went back to his seat. The pancakes were smiling at him, the blueberries arranged into faces. He couldn’t help but snort at the sight. If everything went right today, maybe he could convince David to do it again tomorrow with angry faces this time.


	7. David Sees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David sees more of Max's bruises with the boy's permission and they head for the police station.

Time went by too quickly for Max and David. The pancakes were gone in a flash and the mess in the kitchen was taken care of quickly. They both tried to find other things to do, anything to delay the inevitable visit to the police station, but they knew it needed to be done. Max knew David could get into huge trouble for keeping him here. David knew that if he did not do this, Max would never see justice for all the abuse he had been put through. It wasn’t until he sent Max to get dressed that they both resigned themselves to the long, painful day that was ahead of them.

He couldn’t help but stare at the bruises again when he took of his pajamas. While he hadn’t noticed how much they hurt when David hugged him, too overwhelmed with emotion to notice, they had begun to ache once again. They were all going to want to see these today and he was going to show them, whether he was ready or not. They would want to take pictures and they would ask for statements. Maybe even ask about older injuries, the ones that came long before he landed with his current fosters. A shiver went up his spine. They would pity him, make it seem like they were trying their best to help, and forget about him as soon as the court case was over. He would just be another kid.

Slipping back on his clothes, he thought about showing David first. The older man would see them eventually; they would probably ask him to testify in court about his time at camp. He would see the pictures they took, hear about all the beatings and screaming matches. The man would break down in tears at that. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if he showed him before all that happened. He had already seen some of the bruises when he showed up, he had to know that there were more.

David was in the living room, standing by the door with his keys in one hand and his phone in the other. It looked like he was texting someone. Probably Gwen, he did say that they kept in touch outside of camp. “David?”

“Yes Max?” he asked, attention diverted almost immediately to the young boy.

“Look, I know you already seen some of the bruises, so try not to be weird about this…”

David looked confused, tilting his head to the side. “You’re gonna end up seeing them all anyway, right? They’re gonna open a case on me and we’re all gonna end up in court. They’re gonna want pictures of my fucking bruises and my foster parents are gonna talk all sorts of bullshit to try and excuse themselves. Everyone there is gonna see my fucking bruises and I don’t want you to see them for the first time there. Knowing your pansy ass, you’re gonna start crying as soon as you see them, and I don’t want you to cry in the middle of court because of me. So, if you promise not to start sobbing, I want you to show you before all that happens.”

It came as a surprise to David. Max had already made himself vulnerable and uncomfortable once today with his outburst at breakfast. Why was he offering to do it again? Especially when the only reason for doing so was to stop him from crying later? But all he did was smile reassuringly at him. “If you feel comfortable showing me, then go ahead. I’ll try not to cry.”

A soft sigh escaped his lips and the hoodie came off. The bruises on his arms became visible, these ones more green and yellow with splotches of blue in between. David could clearly see where someone had grabbed Max too tight. Had those happened the day he left when David had seen his parents grip his wrists? How hadn’t he noticed? “You okay?”

He nodded, breaking out of his thoughts. “I’m alright buddy, more worried about you. I didn’t hurt you earlier, did I?”

Max shook his head. “If you did, I didn’t notice… Are you okay with seeing the rest?”

“If you’re okay with showing me, then I’m okay seeing it.”

This time he left his shirt and David had to bite back a shout. His chest was horrible, how had he managed to get all this way without falling to the floor in pain? How had this little boy, his favorite camper, make it all this way and never show how much pain he was in in the hours that he had been in his home? “Max…”

“Don’t make it weird…” he muttered, hiding the bruises once again, “They don’t hurt that bad anymore.”

“No one should have hurt you in the first place.” he said, wishing he could give the people who hurt his boy a piece of his mind, “No matter what you did or what you said, you never deserved to be hit or kicked.”

“You don’t think I know that? I’m ten, not fucking five.”

“Well… I’m going to make sure it never happens again.”

Max rolled his eyes, hoping that David could keep his promise but knowing that there was a chance he couldn’t. “Yeah, we’ll see how willing CPS is to saddle you with an aggressive ten-year-old.”

David didn’t respond, but smiled reassuringly at Max. He didn’t know what was going to happen. He didn’t know if he would be coming back alone or with Max. He didn’t know how they were going to react to Max’s story. He didn’t know how they would respond to the fact that he traveled over a hundred miles in one day to a man he had barely known for three months. But he knew that, if they played their cards right, it would be alright in the end. “Come on Max, let’s be positive!”

Another eye roll, but the boy played along. “At least I won’t go back to them, right?”

“Of course.”

Tugging his hoodie back on, Max followed David out the front door. He knew this was going to a long day. They were going to treat him like a fucking baby, try to convince him that they knew more about what he needed than he did. They would pity him when they saw the bruises and fill his ears with empty promises about how they would protect him. It was all bullshit; they said that each time he got removed from a home and that didn’t stop him from being hurt over and over again.

Still, part of him hoped that this time would be different. No; this time would be different. David was here this time and he trusted that he would make sure this time was the last time.

* * *

The police station was still just as terrifying to him at twenty-four as it was when he was seventeen. Sure, this time he was walking in on his own, but he recognized a good amount of the officers. Officer Langston, that was the one he accidentally kicked in his mad dash to get away. Officer Thomas had been the one to cuff him and Officer O’Mally had been the one to take them off. He had also been the one to sit with him until his mother arrived, tears streaming down her face at the sight of him. He couldn’t imagine how different he looked to her after a year, going from a healthy, angry sixteen-year-old to the terrified, bruises teenager sat before her…

Shaking his head, David tried to focus on the present. He wasn’t living with his father anymore, he didn’t have to fear him, and he didn’t have to fear seeing his mother’s tear-stained face. Right now, all that mattered was Max. Make sure that the proper authorities know where he is, why he’s there, what happened to him in the few short weeks between camp and now. Then he had to convince them that Max should stay with him and not go back into foster care. After that, he could focus on the past a little bit more.

To be fair, Max looked just as nervous as he did. He doubted he had the best memories inside police stations. The boy glanced up at him, waiting for him to make the first move. Giving him a small smile, he stepped towards the policewoman at the front desk. He didn’t recognize her, he doubted that she had been on the force long by her looks, but he could feel everyone else starring at him. He hadn’t been that bad, had he?

“Excuse me.” he started, gripping Max’s hand a little tighter, “I need to file a report.”


	8. History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max talks about his past with his new social worker, David also learns about his past families. David also makes his intent to foster Max clear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to apologize, this chapter was completely written after I worked 8-9 hour shifts at 1 or 2 in the morning. Also, I have no idea how things work in this situation with CPS, so I'm just going to write it the best I can. Enjoy~!

Even though these people were here to help him, Max felt more like a criminal. After David told them how he had run away and that he wanted to file a report of child abuse, the two of them were led deeper into the police station. Together the two of them were sat in what seemed to be an interrogation room. It was bare, gray walls and concrete floors. All that was in the room was a table and chairs. David and himself were placed on one side, two police officers on the other. He took a little comfort in the fact that they seemed to know David personally, they were laughing even if his counselor looked a little uncomfortable. That should help with the whole ‘convince the state to let him stay with David’ plan.

He glanced between the three adults, wondering how they seemed to know each other. David didn’t seem like the type of person to get into trouble with the law. Maybe he had been a victim of some crime? Likely, the fucking sap probably got roped into some scheme trying to help and got robbed. He would have made friends with the cops somehow, being the over-friendly bastard he was.

They sat in the room, simply chatting for a few more minutes while Max watched until they were joined by a third adult. He couldn’t help but groan at the sight of her. They had never crossed paths before, but he was more than familiar with the type of people who worked with CPS and she just screamed social worker. She would oversee his case and he would have to come clean about everything to her if he wanted a chance to make things stick. “Mrs. Ferris, it’s nice to see you again.” One of the officers, O’Malley, said.

“I wish it was under better circumstances then this.” she said, taking a seat next to him. The second officer took this as his cue to leave.

“Now, Mr. Green, you brought Max in?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“And how do you know this child?”

“I was his camp counselor this summer.”

She nodded, writing that down. “And how did he come to be in your care?”

“He texted me last night, asking me to meet him at the bus station.” he explained, “I had no idea that he was coming until then. When I picked him up, it was late, and we agreed that he could stay the night as long as we came to the station in the morning.”

Max was relieved that he didn’t mention the weirdo that had nearly kidnapped him. He really didn’t want to think about that. The scratching of pen on paper drew his attention and his attention was drawn back to Mrs. Ferris. She didn’t seem to be too pleased by David’s statement.

A scowl quickly overtook his face. “David didn’t know about any of this.” he said, rushing to his defense, “I did it all by myself and without anyone noticing until we came here.”

She looked between the two of them, scribbling another note down before giving them her full attention. “Right now, no one is in any trouble.” she said, the words directed more at David than anything, “My main concern right now is ensuring that Max is safe and well-cared for. Anything beyond that will be determined by what I’m told and the evidence that is laid before me.”

The two nodded, going silent. “Now, I’m going to start with some simple questions for Max. These are simply for recording purposes. Are you ready?”

He nodded, taking a deep breath. This was familiar territory, something he could do easily and not reveal anything to terrible. He eyed the tape recorder she brought out. Time to get it over with. “Ready.”

“Alright. Please state your full name, including your middle name if you have one.”

“Maxwell Anand.”

“Age and birthday?”

“I’m ten, born on October 28th, 2008.”

“Current place of residence?”

“Legally? 112 Hill Road, West Halga.”

“And who are your current caregivers?”

“Steve and Patricia Martin.”

She nodded, looking over a sheet. Most likely his personal information. He couldn’t help but wonder what else was on that paper. He knew the basics about himself, but anything beyond that… He didn’t know who his parents were or what happened to them, only being told that they had passed away when he was very young. Over the years he had tried again and again to get a hold of that paper, thinking it had all the answers he could ever need. He had eventually given up on that, resigning himself to the fact that he wouldn’t know until he turned eighteen at the very least… Maybe he could convince David to help him figure it out.

“Now, Max, this may be a little difficult to talk about in front of others, so if you would like to be alone during this portion of the questioning, I can ask Mr. Green to step out into the hallway while we talk.”

He paused for a moment, looking to David. All he could see was the older man in the courtroom, bawling as all the secrets of his past came to life. Shaking his head, he looked to the woman once more. “David can stay. He’s gonna hear all about this shit anyway, so better to get it out into the open now.”

She nodded. “Do you remember each of your foster homes?”

“Some a bit better than others, but yeah.”

“What can you tell me about your first foster family? The Pattersons?”

“They were okay. I don’t remember a lot about them, but they were good people… They were the ones talking about adopting me before Mr. Patterson disappeared.”

She nodded, looking over his papers once more. “Correct. You were introduced to their home at four months old and removed shortly after your first birthday.”

He nodded, only able to remember a bright smile and a crib full of stuffed animals. That was the home that gave him Mr. Honey Nuts. “You were fostered again just before your second birthday, correct?”

“Yeah, I lived with the Crane family after that till I was four.”

“What can you tell me about them?”

“They had one of those bullshit cookie cutter homes. The dad was never home, always working. They had a son who didn’t like me much. He was in high school.”

“Do you remember why you were removed from that home?”

Max nodded. He never forgot what happened in that house, how close he came to dying there. “Their son decided that I’d be a good fucking replacement for his biology experiment.” he explained, glancing over at David to see if the man was okay, “He tried to cut me open. I remember he did a little bit, there was a lot of blood. His mom heard me screaming and came to check on us.”

She nodded, looking at the file again. “It was decided that you would go back into foster care after your foster brother’s attack?”

“He got off somehow, I remember that. She brought him home from juvie and then took me straight to the orphanage. Not much else besides the nightmares.”

“Understandable, given your age and the violence of the act.” she said, trying to ignore the soft sniffles coming from David, “Then you stayed at a local orphanage until you healed, do you remember that?”

“A little bit?” he said, unsure. The time was hazy with how little sleep he was getting and how young he was at the time, “I think they kept me separated from the other kids until they shipped me off to West Halga.”

“You were fostered again shortly after your arrival?”

“I was barely there for three weeks; I think I was five by then. They were keeping a close eye on me when I was placed with the next family… The Petersons? That was the third family, just a man and his wife.”

She nodded, letting him continue to speak. “I remember he smelled weird. No one I lived with before drank or smoked, so it was strong. I thought I was fucking choking on it sometimes… The wife was quiet, and the husband was either getting drunk on the couch, out at the bar, or nursing a hangover at his work. He didn’t like it when I talked. I got too loud one day and he smashed me in the head with his bottle.”

He couldn’t ignore the faint gasp from David. Turning to look at him, he had to admit was doing better than he thought he would. There were tears, but he wasn’t full out sobbing or apologizing. “Don’t worry about it, he barely left a mark. You can’t even see the scar if you don’t know where to look.”

“Mr. Green, are you going to be able to keep your composure? Or would you prefer to sit the rest of the interview out in the hall?”

“I’ll be fine ma’am. I was just… taken aback. I can stay.”

Max gave him a minute to gather his composure again before continuing. “I left there and didn’t get another home till I was seven.” he said, looking to Mrs. Ferris to confirm before he moved on, “The Lipskys. I knew they were no good when I met them the first time. How they got past all those fucking safety checks you do is beyond me. Their house was empty when I got there, I think I slept on the floor with my backpack as a pillow for nearly a year. No one checked on me by then, just grateful that I was finally in a home. They left me alone for the most part. I was only important when they were showing off to their friends about how good they were for taking in the poor misused orphan. If I got their attention any other time, they got mad…”

“The situation at home began to leak into your school life as well.”

“Yeah. I was ignored at home and then I went to school just to get ignored some more. Being alone like that… I guess I snapped. I stopped caring what happened to me after I made myself heard, I just needed someone to acknowledge I existed.”

“Did the school notice your injuries?”

“No.”

“What brought about your removal from their home?”

“I fell out of a tree and broke my arm at school. The hospital noticed the bruises and shit, got CPS on my case again. Never went back.”

“And then you were placed with the Martins?”

“Two months after my arm healed. I pretty sure everyone just wanted me out of the fucking home by that point.”

“And what happened at the Martins?”

She had put down her papers, moving onto new territory. She knew everything he told her already, it was all there, the previous questions more of a way to confirm what they already knew. “Not much to say. They’re drunks and drug addicts, like to beat the living shit out of me when things didn’t go their way, or I made too much trouble… I’ve got the bruises to prove it.”

He pulled up his sweater sleeves to show her. “There more on my chest and legs. The ones on my legs are not from sexual abuse, just where they kicked me when I was on the floor. Yes, I am willing to let you take pictures for the case. Anything else?”

Scribbling down a few more things, she shook her head. “I think I have all that I need for the moment regarding your current foster family. We’ll see about getting your bruises looked at and photographed shortly. I have one more question though.”

“Yeah?”

“Mr. Green mentioned that you came to him. Will you please elaborate on how that came to be?”

“Before I left camp, David gave me some photos from the summer. You know, sitting around the campfire and shit like that. He got everyone to sign them and he left his phone number and address on the back of one. Probably was expecting a kind of pen pal thing, but he said to reach out if I needed anything… And I really needed out of that house. So, I bused my way to him.”

“You rode the public buses from West Halga to Greenwood by yourself? No one stopped you?”

“People aren’t really observant. All I did was tell them I was visiting an uncle while my parents were out of town and they left me alone.”

Another nod. “I believe I have all the information I need. Officer O’Malley?”

“I’ll see if I can get Adkins to take the photos. If you boys would be so kind to follow me?”

“Just Max.” Mrs. Ferris cut in, eyes locked onto David, “I believe Mr. Green and I have some other things to discuss regarding the current situation. I’ll send him along once we’re finished.”

“David didn’t do anything wrong!” Max shouted, leaping out of his chair, “He did the right thing, you can’t punish him for that!?”

“Mr. Green is currently not in any trouble.” she said, “While I would have preferred that he had called the police as soon as you were in his care, I don’t see any reason to charge him with housing a runaway. He’ll be along as soon as I get his story. Now please follow the officer.”

“Go on Max.” David said when the boy showed no intent on moving, “Thomas will take good care of you while I talk to Mrs. Ferris. It’ll be just a few minutes. I promise I’ll still be here when you get done, okay?”

“You better be.” he said after a moment, joining the officer at the door.

The door closed and they were left alone. “Now, Mr. Green, I need your events of last night. We can discuss what happens next once I have your story.”

“Of course!” he said, reaching up to wipe away the tears, “He texted me last night, saying he was in trouble and needed my help. He even said please! Max never says please, so I headed out. He seemed okay when I picked him up, a little shaken but okay. I took him to my house, told him that we’d come here in the morning, and just made sure he was okay. I fed him, washed his clothes, let him get a shower, and we talked a little bit about what happened.”

“And what did he tell you?”

“He said that his fosters didn’t care about him and he thought I wouldn’t help him because he didn’t think I would believe him.”

She nodded, taking a note. “And why do you think he came to you?”

“Well… From what Max’s told me and what I’ve seen from his behavior, I think I’m the only person who hasn’t given up on him. I know what everyone else sees and that violent and rowdy behavior is just a mask to hide the kid I know is inside. I can see how bright he is and how desperate he is for someone to just see him for who he is. He trusts me because, while I do try to get him to see the brighter side of things, I let him be himself. If he’s upset, I let him be upset because his feelings are valid. He doesn’t have to pretend everything is okay with me, but he can still depend on me to help make it a little better. I want to help make things better for him in any way I can.”

“In any way you can?”

“Max is one of my favorite campers, my favorite though I would never say it in front of the others. I know this is out of my hands, but I promised Max that he could stay with me. I’m a registered foster parent, I have a home where he’ll be safe, and I have the means to provide for him as well. I’d love to take him in if you would allow it.”

“If that is the case, I think we have much more to discuss Mr. Green.”


	9. Things are Okay...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David gets to take Max home and Max draws some conclusions on his new situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! Sorry this is so late, I've been picking up extra hours at work and haven't had time to write. This chapter is shorter than the others (hopefully the next will be longer), but I hope you still enjoy!

With each passing minute, Max could feel his anxiety rising. Officer O’Malley had been okay to him, giving him his space after his talk with Mrs. Ferris. The second officer had tried to make the photo taking as quick as possible and thanked him for being brave enough to step forward. He had bit his tongue; the less trouble he caused here, the better the chance would be for him to go home with David. But they had wrapped all that up and he was now sitting in O’Malley’s office. It had been nearly twenty minutes and still no sign of David or the social worker. Nervously, he began to play with the hem of his hoodie. What was going on?

He nearly jumped out of his seat when the door finally opened, revealing Mrs. Ferris but no David. His heart dropped. Had she lied to him? Or had David given up?

“Thank you for keeping an eye on him Thomas.” she said, nodding at the officer, “I’ll take him from here.”

“Keep me updated on the case Katie.” he said, turning his attention back to his computer.

“Of course.” her gaze turned to Max, “Come along, best not to keep Mr. Green waiting.”

He couldn’t help but relax at her words. David was still here at the very least, he was still fighting for him, at least he hoped he was. “What’s going to happen to me?” he asked, trying to keep his expectations low, “Go stay with David till you find someone to deal with me?”

“You will be placed into Mr. Green’s custody for now, at least for the duration of the trail.” she explained, “While I highly doubt that your current foster parents will try to fight for their rights over you, I won’t be able to make Mr. Green your official foster father until their guardianship over you has been terminated. If the court case goes as planned and Mr. Green has completed the tasks I’ve given him by then, you will be placed with him as your foster until you turn eighteen or are adopted.”

He nodded, not wanting to ruin the only decent thing that had happened to him recently. “I know things have been rough lately Max.” she started again, “I know that I’m not the first social worker to be put on your case, but I truly do want what’s best for you. So, if you think that being with Mr. Green is the best thing for you, I will fight to make sure that happens. But I need you on your best behavior. From what I’ve heard and seen today, he is the best guardian for you now, but others may not think that way. If they see you misbehaving under his care…”

“Like they noticed before…” he muttered under his breath, but he still nodded, “I understand, best behavior.”

“Good.” She said, holding the door open for him. On the other side stood David, his face lighting up once Max came into view, “Now, I’ll be by next week to check on the two of you. Mr. Green, I do expect some progress on the things we talked about when I come.”

“Of course, Mrs. Ferris.” he said, gently placing his hand on Max’s shoulder when he got close enough, “Is there a time we should be expecting you?”

“I’ll contact you with the details tomorrow.” she said, “Goodbye Mr. Green, Max.”

“Goodbye!” David said, gladly leading Max out the station.

Both let out the breath they’d been holding. They had fully expected to have been separated, despite their best efforts. Max looked up to David, following him back to his car. “So… What do we do now?”

David shrugged, mind swimming with all the things he had been told. There was so much to do in the time between now and the court case and he needed to be showing progress every week that Mrs. Ferris visited. He needed to get Max’s room ready, make sure the house was safe, get Max to a doctor, get him enrolled in school, and so many other things! Where to start? What to do? “What do you want to do Max?”

“I don’t know…” he said, gaze averted to his shoes, “Don’t you have adult stuff to do? Like, go to work and pay bills and shit?”

“Today’s Sunday, so no work for me.” he said, “And the bills aren’t due till next week, not that you need to worry about those.”

“Can we just go back to your house?” he asked, “I really don’t want to be around any more people today.”

“That’s fine.” he said, “Do you want to do something at the house? Or do you need some alone time?”

Max shook his head before looking to the sky. They had spent a lot more time at the police station than he had thought, the sun was starting to come back down again. “Can we get some pizza and watch a movie like we did at camp?”

“Absolutely!” he said, holding the car door open for him, “Just pepperoni?”

He nodded, hopping in. It felt like he was in a daze. Was it really that easy? All they had to do was show them his bruises, listen to his life story, and confirm that David hadn’t kidnapped him, and they let him go home with him? No. It couldn’t be that simple. There had to be a string attached to all this. Maybe… This was a test? To see if David could really handle him? Everyone knew that he was a handful and had taken a severe disliking to authority in the past couple of years. Yeah, better to see if David would break first before they took any other steps. And Mrs. Ferris had warned him to be on his best behavior… That was the plan and, well, Max wasn’t going to play in the way they expected him to. He’d be the best damned kid in the world for David, no matter what, if it meant not going into a group home or another foster.

David gave Max a worried glace. He was strangely quiet. He had honestly been expecting him to make fun of the officers, talk unkindly of his new social worker, or at the very least ask how he knew all those people. “Are you okay bud?” he asked, deciding to risk his anger rather than let him stew, “I know today was rough and you had to talk about some things I’m sure you would have rather left in the past…”

“I’m fine David.” he said, forcing on his smile. He had to get better at this, he needed to pretend to be a perfect kid at least until David got custody of him permanently. “I’m just fine.”


	10. David's Phone Call Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David finally calls his mom and talks with her. It doesn't fix everything, but it definitely helps his anixety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very little Max in this chapter, mostly focused on David and his mom. I hope you enjoy!

David couldn’t help but look down at Max as their movie ended. The boy had fallen asleep halfway through, curled under an old afghan. He looked so different when he was asleep. The anger and rage that surrounded him faded away, peace settling across his face. A soft smile covered his face as he looked at him. This was all he wanted for Max. To be able to relax, to have fun, to be a normal ten-year-old boy. Hopefully one day, he could see Max this relaxed all the time, not just when he was asleep.

Carefully, he stood and took Max into his arms. A wave of relief washed over him when the boy didn’t wake up, screaming to be put down. He began to hum an old lullaby as he walked to the guest bedroom, one his mother use to sing to him when he was sick or couldn’t sleep. A wave of sadness washed over him as he remembered those nights. She had always stood by his side, loved him when he had been nothing but trouble. She had been there all the days his father wasn’t, often playing both parents for him after he walked out. And how had he repaid her? He had screamed at her the moment he walked back into his life, left her alone for a year to live with the man that knew nothing about him. He didn’t talk to her for a year and he only came back because someone noticed the bruises on his skin, just like he had noticed the ones on Max. She spent so much time helping him, patching him up and reminding him what love felt like, and then he’d left again. He’d gone to college, became a teacher and a camp counsellor, and avoided her out of guilt. They’d only started talking again because she reached out, she apologized first for keeping the secrets about his dad, and she had been the one to invite him back into the family. Now… Now he was going to reach out first and give her a chance at being the grandmother she always dreamed of being.

Tucking Max into bed was surprisingly easy, the boy not even stirring as he slipped his beloved bear into his arms. He quietly snuck out the room, leaving the door open just a hair in case Max needed a little bit of light. He knew how scary it was to wake up in a new place, even after being there a few days. Hopefully, he would sleep through the night with no nightmares to plague him.

He found his cellphone on the arm of the couch where Max had fallen asleep. It had been nicked between the second and the third movie they watched that day. The boy had been surprisingly good with it from what he could tell, no more pretending that he was David on those dating apps. Instead he had downloaded a few games and had settled down to play. He hadn’t minded, Max’s phone was much too old to play games on and the boy having his phone just delayed the inevitable phone call that he had to make.

Everything went like normal when he called her. He stared at her contact photo for ten minutes, debating with himself about whether to call or not, before finally hitting the button. It rang twice, she always let it ring twice even if the phone was already in her hand, and her voice filled his ears. “David!” she said, her smile so easy to imagine going by her voice, “It’s so good to hear from you! I haven’t heard a peep since your camp ended.”

“Sorry about that Mom.” he said, nervously rubbing the back of his neck, “I was a little busy setting up for the new school year. You know how it is, lesson plans and supply runs.”

“Oh, I remember. My mother went through the same thing every year until she retired.”

“How is Grandma May? Is she feeling any better?”

“She’s doing much better! The doctors are saying she must keep of her feet a little bit longer, but they finally let her go home. I’ve been keeping a good eye on her; she would love to hear from you!”

“I’ll see about calling her Sunday if I’m not busy.” he said, already knowing he probably wouldn’t get a chance to.

There was a moment of silence before his mother replied. “Would you like me to call on one of my visits? It would only be a few minutes…”

“That would be fine!” he said, the guilt already sinking in. Who couldn’t find time to call their own grandmother?

“David are you okay?” she asked, “You sound awfully stressed. Is it one of your students? Or is that Mr. Fielder giving you a hard time again?”

“My students are fine Mom.” he said, forcing himself to take a seat, “And Mr. Fielder has been avoiding me like the plague since the incident at the end of the last school year… But you’re right, I’m a little stressed out right now.”

“Oh dear, what happened?” she asked.

“It’s a lot of things, actually.” he said, trying to push down his anxiety. God, he hated asking for help from his mother. He didn’t deserve her, and he should have been able to provide for himself by now. He was almost twenty-five! She shouldn’t have to deal with his problems!

“You know you can tell me anything.” she said, almost as if she could hear his thoughts, “I’m always here for you, even if all I can do is listen.”

“Do you remember how I had that fire a few months ago?”

“Of course.”

“Well… I did manage to find a new place, but it’s still empty. I don’t mind it; I’ve got the basics and Gwen’s been helping me find some new furniture, but something’s come up… I told you about my campers over the summer, right?”

“Yes, you told me quite a bit about them. Your rowdiest bunch yet if I remember right?”

“Yeah.” he said, “Well, I had a certain camper that was really worrying me. Max, I know I told you about him.”

“He’s the one that kept trying to runaway and constantly making trouble.”

“He got a lot better by the time summer ended.” he said, immediately trying to defend him. It wouldn’t do him or Max any good if his mom thought him nothing but a troublemaker, “He was getting along so well with his friends and he was starting to use his manners and he only made me cry twice in the last week!”

“I know David, you were practically gushing about him the last time we talked.”

“I did?”

“Yes, you did. He sounds like a lovely young man, despite it all.”

“He is. But Max… He’s gotten into some trouble. From what I know, he’s been in the foster system since he was a baby and he’s gone through a lot of families. His latest ones… They hurt him mom, left him covered in bruises.”

“Oh my…”

“And before the summer ended, I gave Max my phone number and address. I didn’t think he would reach out, or if he did it would only be a few phone calls before he stopped, but he ran away from his house! And came to me! He travelled for hours on the bus, alone, and I didn’t even know he was coming until he called me when he was in Greenwood!”

“So, you have a runaway in your house? Please tell me you called the police?”

“We went to the police station earlier.” he explained, “And I know you might think I’m not thinking straight and I’m rushing into things, but I couldn’t let Max go back into the system. I’m the one adult he trusts, and he told me that if he got put into a group home he would run away again. If he did that, I don’t think anyone would hear from him ever again. So, I convinced his social worker to let me foster him. At least until his foster parents are dealt with.”

“You’re fostering your camper? Oh David…”

“I don’t want to hear you tell me it’s a bad idea, because I know it’s going to be hard. Max has his own past he needs to work through and I’m still trying to get onto my feet, but I can’t just leave him like that! He needs someone to care and to stay beside him. Somebody has to and nobody is going to do it but me!”

“David, I wasn’t going to say that at all. While I do agree that it’s a little rash, I think you’re doing the right thing.”

“You do?”

“Of course, I do. You understand him in a way no one else has. From what you’ve told me, Max doesn’t trust easy and to have earned enough of it for him to risk it all to get to you speaks volumes to me about how he sees you.”

“Mom… I’m scared.” he admitted, “Max needs me to be the adult here, but I feel like a kid. There’s so much I have to do! I’ve got to schedule him in to see the doctor and I have to see about getting him enrolled at school. He needs so much! He barely has any clothes, he’s been living off of peanut butter and chocolate bars since he left camp, he’s staying in the guest room with basically nothing he can call his own. And if I want to keep him here, I have to do everything his social worker told me to do! There’s so many classes I have to take on top of the ones I’ve already completed, I’ve got to get all the appliances working again, the house needs to be in good shape, and I’ve still got to juggle my responsibility as a teacher on top of it all! I… There’s so much I have to do, and I don’t even know where to start.”

“You’ve made a good start honey. You made sure that boy has a safe place to stay and you reached out for help. I’m not sure what exactly I can do from so far away, but for now I’ll do all I can. Would you like for me to send down some of your grandmother’s furniture? It’s just sitting in a storage unit gathering dust and I’m sure she rather it go to you.”

“Are you sure she won’t mind?”

“I’ll talk to her about it, but I’m sure she’ll be happy to let it go to you. You are her favorite grandson.”

David couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m her only grandson.”

“And very clearly her favorite. Now, I need you to take a deep breath. Focus on one thing at a time. I’m going to do my best to help with the furniture, now what can you do right away and what is going to need time?”

“I could talk to Mrs. Smith about enrolling Max at my school.” he said after a moment of thought, “And I could call my doctor to see about getting Max an appointment.”

“Good. Now focus on those two things. I doubt she wants it all done right away, correct?”

“She wants to see progress on my end while seeing that Max is being taken care of.”

“And you are going to do just that. I’ll see about getting on your cousins to watch your grandmother for a few days so I can come down. We’ll get that house of yours into shape in no time if we work together!”

“Mom, you don’t have to do that!”

“But I want to. Besides, I’m long overdue for a visit anyway and I want to meet this boy you so clearly care for.”

“Thanks mom. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too honey, so much more than you can ever know. Now, go get some sleep. You’ve got a little one that needs you in tip-top shape!”

“Alright mom. I love you.”

“I love you too. Sweet dreams!”

He ended the call, letting out a sigh of relief. That had gone much better than he had expected. She was going to help him out, so far with no strings attached. She wasn’t mad at him and didn’t think he was an idiot for rushing headfirst into fostering Max. He relaxed, falling asleep on the couch before he knew it. And for the first time in weeks, he slept without a nightmare.


	11. Rough Mornings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max tries to do something nice for David for once and ends up giving him a heart attack. David is a caring, worried dad.

Max woke up early the next morning, confused as to how he had gotten to bed. The last thing he remembered was being in the living room with David. They had been watching a movie… One David wanted to watch? A little orange kitten on the screen, he remembered that. He’d put down the phone, actually enjoying the cartoon a little bit, and… He fell asleep. Wait, if he had fallen asleep out in the living room, how had he gotten into bed? He would have remembered waking up, would have given David hell for interrupting one of the few times he fell and stayed asleep so easily, but he hadn’t. The only way for him to get to bed without waking up would be to sleepwalk. Or for David to carry him to bed.

As he slowly began to wake up, the pieces fell into place. If he had sleepwalked from the living room to the bed, the door would be wide open, but it was only cracked open. He wouldn’t have been tucked into bed and he wouldn’t have Mr. Honeynuts with him. So, David must have carried him to bed, tucked him in, made sure he had his bear, and left the door open a little bit just in case he was scared of the dark. He couldn’t help but snort. David was a fucking sentimental piece of shit. But he couldn’t help but admit it made him feel… warm inside. Anytime the older man did something to prove he cared left him like this and he couldn’t help but crave it. As much as he hated to admit it, the short time with David and his friends had changed him.

Now that he realized how much he had missed affection, whether it was physical or emotional, he felt its absence ten-times worse. Some days it felt like a heavy weight pushing down on his shoulders, others it felt like he was drowning. The feelings never passed easily, only going away after a few days… Or he received the attention he so desperately needed and wanted.

A tackle from Nikki or a good talk with Neil would chase away those feelings for a little bit and a hug from David could get rid of them for days afterward. But he couldn’t ask for it, he’d done so many things and said so much that coming out and asking for affection would just be weird. So, he had to earn those moments, convince everyone that he deserved them even without asking.

Max jumped out of bed, determined. The best way to get what he wanted was to be good for once. It would get him the affection he craved, and it would help when Mrs. Ferris came back to hear that he had been behaving. But what could he do? David had cleaned up the mess from last night before he had fallen asleep and the house looked to be clean… Oh! He could cook, he did that plenty of times for himself when he was left home alone at his foster’s houses. He could surprise him with breakfast! People liked it when you did stupid shit like that, right?

With the new plan in his head, he headed for the kitchen.

* * *

David woke up to the smell of smoke in his nose and the fire alarm screaming in his ears. He sat up straight from his place on the couch, half expecting to see the bright orange flames surrounding him once more. His first thought went to Max and his body moved to run for the boy’s room. He had to get him out first, before the flames took over and everything went up in flames and turned red hot! He took three steps before he stopped in his tracks. The house wasn’t on fire, at least not in the living room, and, going by the frantic cursing in the kitchen, Max wasn’t going to be in his room.

He made a bee-line for the kitchen and stopped dead in his tracks. The kitchen was a mess. His cabinets had been raided, still wide open. Two mixing bowls were toppled over, what was left of their contents mixing together on the counter. A plate of slightly burned pancakes were on the table and whatever the charcoal in the pan used to be was causing the smoke. Of course, in the middle of it all, was Max on a chair, barely able to reach the top of the stove. He gave David a sheepish grin, holding a wrapped hand close to his chest. “Hey David.”

“Max!” he said, more out of fear than anger, “Oh my goodness, what in the world happened?”

The boy looked down at his feet as David rushed in, turning off the burner and frantically waving a towel at the smoke alarm. “I tried to make us breakfast.”

David sighed, finding it hard to stay upset. “Max, you didn’t have to do that.” he said, giving a sigh of relief when the alarm stopped blaring, “Cooking in an adult job and, while you are very grown up, you shouldn’t be using the stove without adult supervision. Anything could have happened to you!”

“You don’t have to treat me like a baby!” he said, immediately defensive, “I’ve cooked for myself lots of times before! I know how!”

“And yet the smoke alarm was blaring and… Max, did something happen to your hand?”

“It’s fine!” he said, “It really doesn’t hurt, I barely touched it!”

David was immediately concerned, forgetting about the disaster that was his kitchen to focus on his boy. “Max, what happened?”

He was silent for a moment before sighing and getting off the chair he was standing on. “It was stupid, okay? I shouldn’t have even done it, so can you just let me go take care of my hand and punish me later?”

“I can’t do that Max.” he said, “I don’t care about the kitchen right now, I don’t care about the mess. But you’re hurt and that is something I do care about. So, please let me see?”

Max stared at him for a long moment and David was struggling to understand why. They had done this over the summer, Max had been hurt before and, reluctantly, let him look at his injuries. Why was this time different? Was it because he was supposed to be his foster parent now? Did that dissolve all the trust they had built up over the summer?

“Fine.” he said, holding out his hand, “Just… Make it quick.”

“Of course.” he said, gently taking the offered hand into his own. Unwrapping the towel revealed red skin, burned but not terribly so, “Alright buddy, it doesn’t look too bad, but I’ve got some burn cream that should help with the pain. Take a seat and I’ll be right back to bandage you up.”

He nodded, taking a seat while David rushed off to grab the first aid kit. David couldn’t help but give a sigh of relief at seeing the kit stocked. After going all summer with only band-aids and an old bottle of children’s Tylenol, it was good to know that he could take care of his camper correctly.

It was surprising to see Max still in the seat, staring at his hand. He had honestly expected him to run off to his room and lock himself inside… Better to get this over with before his patience ran thin.

“Alright Max, let me see your hand again.”

He didn’t make a sound, handing over his hand once more. David did his best to make it quick and painless. It was silent as he worked, and he glanced up worriedly at Max. He was looking anywhere but David, his mask in place but he knew he was upset. “Can you tell me how this happened?”

“It’s stupid.” he mumbled, “I thought I turned the burner off, but I guess I didn’t.”

“The left front one? It’s a little finicky, I don’t tend to use it because it won’t turn off sometimes.”

“I didn’t mean to burn the eggs. I was trying to take care of my hand and I fucking forgot about them.”

“It’s okay Max, I can take care of it. I’m just glad to see you’re okay.”

Once his hand was bandaged, David pulled him into a hug. “Next time, wake me up and we can make breakfast together.”

“Like I would ever want to do that.” he said with a snort.

He let go, looking towards the mess again. “Well, it looks like your pancakes turned out. Why don’t we have some before we tackle the rest?”

“Sure.” he said, unable to hide the small smile on his face, “You might want to cut off the edges though.”


	12. Promise You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David worries about leaving Max alone and makes a decision. Max worries about the future. Que Dadvid doing his best to convince him it'll be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say I love all of you! Your continued support, the tips, and the amazing things you have to say about this story have just made me so happy in a time where I've struggled to smile. I want to give a special thank you to SweetPotato, for all of the beautiful comments and the amazing story she wrote. You're simply amazing! To all of you, I want you to know you can expect so much more from me, not only for this story but for many more (may or may not be coming soon) and I truly hope you enjoy!

David was honestly dreading going back to work. Yes, he absolutely loved being a teacher. Yes, he adored his students, no matter how much trouble they caused or how uninterested they seemed. He loved the school and most of his coworkers. But the thought of going back to work when Max was still adjusting to how quickly his life had changed left a terrible taste in his mouth and an ache in his heart. Sure, Max was independent enough to be left on his own (even if he had to disable the burners on the stove when he stepped out of the house). He could help Max catch up on whatever schoolwork needed to be done while he worked out his enrollment. They would have plenty of time to spend together once he got home. But Max was adjusting. He could see it in the way he watched his tongue or tried to help out. He could see how much closer he stayed to him and how he always needed to know where he was at all times. Sure, the boy was quick to deny it when David brought it up, but Max needed support more than ever. Support he couldn’t give while he was at work.

But he needed to work to keep a roof over Max’s head and food in the fridge. He sighed, unsure of what to do. Max would probably tell him to stop being a baby and go to work, that he would be fine on his own. Maybe he needed some time to be alone anyway, but what if he found more trouble while he was gone? He couldn’t bear the thought of him being alone and hurt for hours because he had been out of the house. Maybe he could find a babysitter? Someone to keep an eye on him for the few days he would be out of school would help tremendously, but who could he trust Max to?

He honestly could only trust Gwen, but she was too far away to watch him. Anyone else would make Max uncomfortable and he could see him mentally scarring anyone that wasn’t prepared to deal with his antics. He had definitely shown improvement since he came, the worse thing he had done had been the kitchen fiasco, but he wouldn’t risk the fragile peace by introducing someone new so soon.

His attention turned back to the papers on his table. He had meant to grade them sooner, but with Max’s arrival and everything that followed he had forgotten. It was a simple assignment, a short explanation of the food chain, but he could see how many corrections he would have to make. He glanced at Max, the child once again on his phone. He seemed fine for now, content to play and ignore him. Hopefully, he would stay distracted long enough for him to finish his grading and come up with a plan for tomorrow.

Now, how in the world did this student get the food chain backwards?

* * *

“You don’t have to take me with you.”

Max sat in the back of the car, glaring at the back of David’s head. The last place he wanted to be was at school. The school year had already begun. Everyone already knew each other, already had their friend groups. There would be no room for a new kid in those groups. He’d be the loner, the target for bullies, the outcast. At the first sign of him being trouble, the teachers would turn their backs on him. They’d blame him for anything and everything, as long as he was present. He hated school and school hated him.

It wasn’t like he was going to be learning anything useful. He wasn’t even enrolled, and David was teaching third grade and he was in fifth. All of what he was teaching would be review, not a terrible thing given he had been so out of control last year, but it would be boring as hell. He could do everything David told him to do at home by himself. It didn’t require him to be in a classroom with little kids eyeing him, trying to figure out why he was there.

“I know I don’t, but I’d prefer to keep you close for now.” he said, glancing back at him through the rear-view mirror, “It’ll just be for today, Leah should be able to get you enrolled fairly quickly. Then you’ll be in a class with kids your age! Oh, you’ll have so much fun! I think they’ll put you in Ms. Freeman’s class for homeroom. She’s great!”

Max couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Come on, stop kidding with me! I haven’t had a teacher that actually liked me since kindergarten, she won’t be any different.”

“But it will be different Max. This time you’ve got me and if things get rough, I’m more than willing to help out.”

“And that’s what going to make it worse! Do you know how bad they’re going to hate me because of you? They’re gonna assume I’m a teacher’s pet, a tattletale! And we’re gonna fight and the teachers are gonna blame me because I’m new and you’re going to regret this!”

“Not going to happen Max. You’re going to make plenty of friends here, I promise! The other teachers won’t like your pranks and such, I’m sure you already know that, but I’ve seen how bright you are! They’ll love having someone who is ready to learn, even if they cause a little mischief!”

He wasn’t ready to learn. Sure, he didn’t mind learning new things, but everything felt so… unstable right now. Living with David was only temporary. He knew that and so did David. As soon as the investigation was over and they found another family that was willing to put up with his ass, he was gone. There was nothing that either of them could do about it. And if they messed anything up before that, one little mistake could send him back into the foster system. They would be separated forever, he’d end up in another home where no one gave a shit about him. He just wanted to stay in David’s house and forget the outside world. He wanted to stay in the one place someone cared.

“Why should I bother?” he asked, slumping against the seat, “It’s not like I’ll be here long.”

He could see the tenseness in David’s shoulders at that statement and he couldn’t help but flinch. He’d struck a nerve and he didn’t know how he’d react. Going by how he had reacted to the bruises, David wouldn’t hit him. He doubted he could do much damage anyway. Maybe he’d yell, tell him how horrible he was being and how his attitude was why no one stuck around. Maybe he’d give up on him just as they were making progress. Just like everyone else.

* * *

David could see Max’s face fall, his indifference and anger fading away to fear once again. He forced himself to take a deep breath. Right now, Max didn’t know what was going to happen. He didn’t know what was going to happen either. They were both afraid of the future. But that wasn’t a reason to give up now, he’d just have to convince Max to try. God knew he wouldn’t stop until Max was safely in his custody permanently. He just needed Max to be willing to fight just as hard.

“Max, I know things are weird right now.” he said, focusing back on the road as the light went green, “You’re in a new place that you don’t think you’ll be in for long. The state is watching both of us, waiting for a slip up. If this doesn’t work out, who knows where you’ll end up? But let me tell you this: I will not stop fighting for you until I know you’re safe. Whether that means you end up living with me permanently as my kid or we find you another home that loves you just as much as I do or we wait until you’re eighteen to come living with me, I will not stop fighting. I won’t give up until I know you’re safe, trust me on that.”

It took a moment, but Max eventually nodded. “We’re in this together, whether you want me with you or not. I promise you, no matter what happens, you’ll always have me.”


	13. School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max does a lot of thinking while stuck in David's classroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so sorry about how late this is! I know I don't have a schedule, but I did intend for this to go up a lot sooner. My Word program decided to crash and I spent days trying to fix it just so I could write this. Anyway, I had to go through a lot of memories to write this. Fifth grade seems like a live time ago. We did have the Friday Folders and the fun days, I remember those quite vividly. I hope you enjoy!

Max hated when people stared at him. It happened all the time growing up when he went out with one of his foster families. The little brown kid always stuck out like a sore thumb with the white families. It was so obvious he didn’t belong, and he could feel their eyes burning holes into him as they walked. They were curious and pitiful looks. He hated them.

Things didn’t get better as he got older. People still stared because he didn’t fit in, but it didn’t stop at stares. The kids at school were quick to find out about his situation. The little orphan kid was easy to pick on at first. He did his best to stay quiet and meek, afraid of losing his home if he acted out. The teachers tried to be kind at first, he remembered that, but they had quickly turned to blaming Max for everything once the parents complained about him. It didn’t matter what he did, he always got in trouble for it while the others got off scot-free. It was when he realized that fact that he truly began to act out. Sure, he still got in trouble, but at least the other kids stopped picking on him. And he had stopped caring about staying in his foster homes by this time, the abuse leaving him desperate for an out.

But he couldn’t do that here. Sure, people were staring at him and he hated that with all his being. He couldn’t act out here, not without risking the fragile co-existence he was sharing with David. These were his students and, while they were staring and whispering about the older boy in their classroom, David had made it clear that they all needed to be kind to one another. So, he would keep his mouth shut and keep the peace. It wasn’t like he would be with these kids for long. Eventually he would join the kids his age and they would forget about the strange kid in their classroom.

He forced himself to work on the assignments given to him. The principle had gotten him some work to keep him busy and to evaluate how far behind the curriculum he was. This was important; as long as he proved himself to not be behind, he wouldn’t have to stay after school for extra tutoring or go to the study hall for a period. Picking a fight with these kids would distract him and he would lose precious time to complete the bullshit in front of him. Totally not worth it.

He was halfway through the math packet, cursing the asshole who decided that multiplying fractions should be a thing, when the bell rang. Glancing up revealed that it was lunch time and the kids were gleefully lining up at the door. “All right kids!” David said, that annoying cheerfulness in his voice grating on Max’s ears, “Today you’ll be having Art class with Mrs. Roberts before you come back to class. I expect you to be on your best behavior!”

“Yes Mr. Green!” they droned, rolling their eyes.

“Alrighty then! Max, just stay right here. I’ll be right back!”

He nodded, giving a sigh of relief when David and the kids were out of the room. God, he really needed a minute alone and a moment to look away from his work. His eyes were starting to burn, and his head was pounding. David had offered to let him step away from it multiple times, but he had refused. The quicker he got this done, the quicker he could get out of this classroom. He needed to get out and assert himself as someone not to mess with as soon as possible to the other kids. The less problems they caused him, the less problems the teachers would have with him, and the more likely he would be able to stay with David for a little bit longer.

Reaching into his bag, he pulled out the sack lunch David had made for him. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich, an apple, a juice box, a cookie, and a sticky note saying ‘You’re gonna do great!’ were inside. It wasn’t bad, a lot more than what he was used to getting, but he couldn’t help but wish he’d been left to eat the cafeteria food. David would no doubt be making his lunches for him as long as he stayed with him, no matter how much he complained. He’d get used to David caring and the stupid little notes he left. It would just make the inevitable separation ten times worse when it happened, just like it had felt when he’d gone home after camp. There would be no chance at running away again, whatever family they sent him to would be informed and the moment he went missing the cops would be at David’s door.

Another sigh escaped his lips and his head met the desk. He didn’t want to care, he knew that caring only led to disappointment later, but he couldn’t help it. All he wanted his entire life was for someone to care about him, to love him like he imagined his birth parents had. He wanted what all the other kids had, but he was too scared to let it happen. Every family he ever had let him down and getting attached to David like this was going to hurt like hell when shit hit the fan. The man might be willing to wait forever to give Max the home he’d always wanted, but he wasn’t sure how much longer he could take being ignored and hurt. He had already wanted to die so badly before and during camp. Going back to life before David might push him over that edge to actually do it.

The door creaked open and Max sat up quickly. That reassuring smile on David’s face told him that he had already seen him with his head down. “Everything okay Max?” he asked.

“Just getting tired of looking at this shit.” he said, pushing his emotions down while shoving his work away, “Whoever created fractions deserves a painful death.”

David could only nod and Max assumed he wasn’t great at math either. This was going to suck when he started his actual class and came home with homework. They’d get nothing done.

“Well, how about we take a break and relax? We can figure out your math homework tonight at home.”

“I thought I had to turn this in at the end of the day?”

“Well, yes. But I got it confirmed that you’re going into Ms. Freeman’s class and she gave me some of the work you’ll be doing. She thought you might apricate not being behind once you started.”

He nodded, looking back down at the sheets. “When am I going to her class?”

“Friday by the latest.” David said, taking a seat at his desk, “Though Leah is trying to get you in by Wednesday. She asked to meet you after school.”

“Why?”

“To introduce herself mainly, but to also get you familiar with the classroom.”

He nodded, still not convinced. This school had to contact his old one to get him enrolled, right? So, they must have told them what a troublemaker he was. She probably wanted to warn him before hand that his antics wouldn’t be tolerated and that she was going to be watching him. She only told David that to keep him off her back and to get to him earlier. “What do you do during your break?” he asked, trying to get the topic off himself.

“Not much, I either get the classroom set up for our last portion of the day or I catch up on grading. Today we’re going to have a quiet hour for reading and writing, so grading it is.”

Again, he nodded, going silent as he turned his attention to his lunch. He didn’t notice David watching him worriedly before silently starting his grading.

* * *

“So, this is Max?”

Max watched her carefully, not straying far from David’s side. She didn’t look like one of those terrible old teachers that insisted on no talking or fun. In fact, he’d bet she was only a few years older than David. Her classroom was colorful and well-organized with a corner of the room being dedicated to a mini library.

“This is him!” David said, gently squeezing his shoulder.

“I’ve heard quite the stories about you from Mr. Green here.” she said, crouching down to his level. Part of him wanted to scream about being treated like a baby, that she didn’t have to get down on his level, but another part appreciated the action. He hated having people loom over him, it made him feel anxious and scared.

“All bad, I’m sure.” he said, looking down at his shoes.

“Not at all.” she said, “A little mischievous, but a wonderful young man. Quite creative as well.”

He continued to look down, unsure of what to say. She’d change her tune really quick once he was in her class, he was sure of it.

“Sorry, Max is normally a little chattier.” David said, “He’s a little nervous about starting class here.”

“I’m not nervous!” he said, glaring at him.

“I understand.” she said, “New schools are always a bit nerve-wracking. I changed schools a lot when I was about his age. You’ve got nothing to worry about Max, you’ll fit in fine.”

He didn’t bother to respond; he knew how this would end up. She’d hate him by the end of the week, along with the entire class. “I’d like to get Max all set up for when he starts, just to help make the first day a little easier.”

“Of course.” David said, gently pushing Max forward, “Go on, I’ll be waiting in the hallway.”

Max rolled his eyes and followed Ms. Freeman in the classroom while David step out. “So Max, is that what you would prefer me to call you? Or do you prefer Maxwell.”

“Max.” he said, looking around again, “No one’s ever called me Maxwell.”

“Okay Max let’s find you a desk and I’ll catch you up on where we are. If you have any questions today or any other day, feel free to pull me aside. I’m always here to help.”

“We’ll see about that.” he mumbled under his breath, following her around once more. He got seated towards the middle in a group of five desks and she added his name to their lists on the wall.

“The one of the left is to keep track of your behavior.” she explained, “At the end of each week we save the last hour for a fun activity for students. Sometimes it’s arts and crafts or we do a simple cooking class. We always offer an extra recess period unless it’s raining. As long as you don’t get five checkmarks, you’ll be allowed to participate.”

“And if I do?”

“Well, the other teachers call it detention. I consider it more of a mandatory study period. The real detention room is down the hall by the band room, though I doubt you’ll be spending a lot of time there.”

David really didn’t warn her. “Didn’t you talk to my old school?”

“We have and I don’t think the you they saw was the real you.”

“How did you figure that out? David?”

“No.” she said, “I’ve only been teaching for a few years, but I’ve seen plenty of students like you. Everyone else might be willing to write off your behavior, but I’m here to help just like Mr. Green. If you have any issues, whether it be with other students, other teachers, or even me, I would like for you to tell me. I want to see you succeed.”

He couldn’t help but roll his eyes at that. “So, my word against theirs. We’ll see who you’ll believe.”

She didn’t speak again about the issue, but he could see the worried look in her eyes. Their tour continued, her explaining the second list was to keep track of the books they’ve read. “We do testing on each book once you’ve finished to see how well you retained the information.” she explained, “Once you’ve gotten enough points, you can turn them in for prizes in the library.”

There honestly wasn’t much more to see. She explained the last hour on most days would be their English period, excluding Fridays where it would be in the morning. “You’ll only see me during your first and last period. You’ll have other teachers for your other courses in order to prepare you for middle and high school. But again, if you have any trouble, feel free to come to me for help.”

“I got it.” he said, “Come to you if I need anything.”

“Or Mr. Green. I’m sure he’d be more than happy to help.”

“Oh God, please don’t remind me.” he said, “He was bad enough at camp.”

“I think that’s all I have for today.” she said, before pausing, “Wait! I forgot your work folder!”

“My work folder?”

She ran into the back room, returning moments later with a lamented blue folder. His name was printed across the top. “At the end of the week, you’ll be sent home with your work folder. It’ll contain all of the assignments you completed over the week. Over the weekend, you’ll need Mr. Green to sign it to acknowledge he’s seen your work. This allows him to see where you’re succeeding and where you’re struggling. Feel free to use it as a place to keep your homework over the week, just make sure it’s back in your cubby in the back room on Friday morning.”

He nodded, taking the folder from her. “It was nice to meet you Max.” she said, “I’ll see your Wednesday for class.”

“Okay.” he said, quickly heading for the door, “Bye!”

It was a relief to see David waiting outside, scrolling through his phone. “Are you all set?”

“Yeah, she gave me this thing you have to sign at the end of the week.” he said, handing him the folder. There was no way to hide it and he probably already knew about it since they were co-workers.

David nodded, looking inside. “Let’s go home, we can worry about this stuff after dinner.”

He was more than relieved about that. This school didn’t seem nearly as bad as he old ones, but he still didn’t like it. “Can we do spaghetti?”

“Sure thing Max. Garlic bread or bread sticks?”

“Are you being serious? Garlic bread is the only choice.”


	14. A Night at Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner is made, David's mom calls, and the homework is something David can handle!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all. I know I pretty much disappeared for a little while there. Sorry about that. I struggled to make this chapter into something I thought you would like, as well as dealing with my own issues. I hope you enjoy!

Dinner was a quiet affair. The two were more focused on the upcoming days than what was happening in front of them. David was fretting over the upcoming visit with Max’s social worker. It was over a week away, but there was still so much to do! He’d made progress, but what if she thought it was too little? What would she do? What would happen to Max? His hands were shaking as his anxiety grew. He had to be as productive as possible in the next couple of days. He had to prove that he could give Max the home he always deserved. Maybe he could get started on clearing out the extra bedroom? Would that show enough progress?

Max, meanwhile, was worried about school. He felt so far behind, even though David had reassured him that he had done fine with the work packets. Some of the things he had never even heard of. Had they been talking about that stuff back at his old school? He honestly couldn’t remember. Everything had been such a blur when he came home. A lot of the time he forgot what day it was until he got to school. And he had been so out of it during class, worrying about what would happen when he got home, that he hadn’t retained anything the teachers said. Well, he hadn’t retained anything important for the days he was in class and not in detention or suspended. Would he be able to catch up? Or would they consider him a lost cause and hold him back a year?

They were both thrown out of their thoughts as David’s phone began to ring. He smiled sheepishly to Max. “I’ll be right back.” he said, rising out of his seat, “It’s my mom.”

He nodded, not bothering to respond. He’d be fine by himself. It wasn’t like he was going to choke on his spaghetti the moment David left.

David went out the backdoor, wanting a little privacy for the conversation. He knew Max would have to meet her eventually, she would be his grandmother if everything worked out according to plan, but he wanted to put that off for a little while longer. It just felt like a step that neither of them were quite ready to make.

“Hi mom.”

“David!” she said, the excitement clear in her voice, “How is my boy doing today?”

“I’m alright.” he said, leaning against the house, “Getting things done, one thing at a time. Max should be enrolled by the end of the week.”

“That’s fantastic!”

“Yeah.” he said, unsure of how to respond, “How are you doing mom? You sound pretty happy.”

“Oh, very happy! I got into touch with your cousin Clover. You remember her, don’t you?”

“Aunt Maybelle’s daughter?”

“Yes! She agreed to come stay with your grandmother for a few weeks so I can come down to visit you! I should be in the States by Saturday.”

David went silent for a moment, both excited to see her again and terrified to see how poorly this would play out. “Really? This weekend?”

“Yes! I found a nice little hotel not far from your house to stay at. No sense in kicking you or Max out of your beds. I should get there around the same time the furniture gets delivered, so I can help you get everything set up!”

“That’s great!” he said, “I can’t wait to see you.”

“Neither can I! I’ve missed you a lot honey. I know you’re busy with work and now with Max, but maybe… Maybe we can plan another visit for you to come up for Christmas or something? I know your grandmother, your aunts and uncles, and your cousins would all love to see you again.”

“I don’t know Mom…” he said, glancing back at the house, “I don’t know where I’ll be in the foster process by December. If I don’t have custody of Max, I don’t think I can take him across the border…”

“Oh, right…”

“But maybe I can see about doing Christmas here? I know it’s far for everyone, but that way Max can be involved too! Or, if we can’t do Christmas, maybe New Years?”

“Don’t worry about it David, I completely forgot that you didn’t have full custody of Max yet. Let’s get the two of you settled before we make any plans. Until then, I can keep coming down to visit. Maybe next time I can bring your grandmother along if she’s cleared by the doctors.”

He couldn’t help the guilt that settled in his gut. It seemed like he always had an excuse not to come over or to do things his way. “I’m sorry Mom. I’ll try to get up there to see everyone as soon as I can. I just want to make sure he’s settled down first.”

“It’s okay, I understand! I should probably go; I still have to pack and get things ready for Clover. I’ll see you Saturday.”

“I’ll see you then. Love you mom.”

“Love you too honey.”

The phone went silent and David gave a short sigh as he stared at the night sky. He could see this going wrong in so many ways. There was nothing he could do though. She was on her way and he wouldn’t make Max change to make her comfortable. Hopefully, she would respect his boundaries and make it easy on the two of them. He went to head back inside; they still had to finish Max’s homework before they could go to bed.

He was still at the table when he came back. His plate was empty, though he was still nibbling on a spaghetti covered piece of garlic bread. It looked like he had gotten started on his homework as well, the papers sitting next to his plate.

“What did your mom want?” he asked, not glancing up from his work, “Making sure I didn’t kill you?”

“Oh, she knows that you would never do that!” he said, a nervous smile crossing his face, “No, she was calling to let me know she’d be coming for a visit this weekend.”

That made Max pause, dropping his pencil and putting his bread down. “She’s coming here. This weekend?”

“Yeah. I called her during the weekend to see if she could help me with the house and she said send some furniture down for us. And I guess that should arrive when she gets here too.”

“You invited her over?”

“Not exactly.”

“What do you mean by that, camp man?”

“Well, she offered to come down and I told her she didn’t have to, but she really wanted to. I never said she could outright, but I didn’t tell her no and now she’s on her way!”

Max did not look impressed. “God, you are such a push over.” he said, pushing away his plate, “You know she’s going to hate me, right?

“She’s not going to hate you.” he said, moving to take a seat next to him, “My mom loves everyone, no matter what. Where do you think I got my optimism?”

The boy groaned and let his head rest on the table. “So, there’s going to be two of you in the house? Great.”

“Oh, it won’t be that bad! Mom’s a great person and she is going to adore you!”

“David, not everyone is oblivious to all the terrible shit I do like you are.”

“And what terrible stuff have you done since you got here? The only thing I’ve seen you do is the kitchen incident and I know that wasn’t on purpose.”

Max paused, thinking for a second. “I’m going to fuck up eventually.” he said after a moment, “So bad that you won’t want me anymore.”

“Never going to happen buddy.” he said, smiling softly at him, “How about he put this conversation to the side for now? We can talk some more about it after we’ve got your homework done.”

He rolled his eyes but dropped it. “I hope you know something about American history, because I don’t remember any of this shit.”

“Are you kidding me? History was my best subject besides science! What are we covering?”

“Colonization of America.”

“Okay, this should be easy! So, in the beginning, the United States started as thirteen colonies under the control of Great Britain…”


	15. School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David had second thoughts about sending Max back to class, Max just wants to get the day over with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! Sorry about the delay, I had most of this chapter written out when I scrapped it. Enjoy!

The morning after his mother called, David found himself bouncing around his house in excitement. He had woken up to an email from the school, officially declaring Max clear to join Leah’s class. There were a few areas that Max needed improvement on, but it wasn’t to the point where they felt it would hold him back. Leah had sent him another email, explaining where he was behind and giving him some worksheets to help catch him up. It seemed like it was mostly math and history at least. History would be a breeze. Math… well, they would learn it together at the very least.

He had been ecstatic when told Max over breakfast. The boy had simply glared at him, it being much too early to deal with his positive attitude. But he had nodded, mumbling something about not having to be stuck with third graders anymore. He had beamed at that; at least he was finding something positive with the situation. They were making the progress that the state wanted to see, and school would definitely give Max some stability he desperately needed.

But Wednesday had come much too quickly for him and now, standing in front of Leah’s classroom with Max, he wanted to go back. Maybe he should have waited a little bit, got Max his doctor appointment first and let him heal. Who knew how rough the other kids would be! Or how rowdy Max would get! The last thing he wanted was for him to get hurt and he had tried to warn him that he wasn’t ready for this yet. Oh, he was such an idiot! Maybe if he slowed down and listened once in a while…

“Stop that. You look like you’re going to pass out.”

He glanced down at Max, the young boy staring at him with an unimpressed look. “I’ll be fine.” he said, “It’s school, I do this every year. Just got to let the other kids know I’m not someone to fuck with.”

“Maybe you were right,” he said, glancing back at the door, “You did say you weren’t ready for this on Monday. I can tell Ms. Freeman you need a few more days if you want.”

Max shook his head. “No, I want to get this over with. I’m going to have to go in there eventually and I’d rather not fall behind even more. Whatever is going through you’re fucking head, just stop. I’m a kid, not a toddler. I don’t need you to hover over me.”

David stared at Max for a moment. He could see one of the bruises on his wrist, no longer the vivid black and blue it had been, but fading to green and yellow. The other kids would surly notice if Max didn’t keep it covered up. They would ask questions, ones he was sure Max wouldn’t want to answer. If he kept them covered, no one would know he was hurt, and they might accidentally make it worse. “Are you sure?”

He nodded, hiking up his backpack. “I’m fine camp man. I know where to find you if I need you.”

“Alright Max, just let your teachers know if you need to back out. I’m sure they’ll understand.”

He nodded again, heading for the door. “Okay, bye David!”

Max would be fine. All he had to do was trust him… and not rush to pull him out of class because he was scared.

* * *

Honestly, school wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Homeroom with Ms. Freeman wasn’t terrible. She had introduced him to the class but hadn’t forced him to stand up front so everyone could stare. The kids in his group really had no interest in him. They’d been polite, sure, but pretty much ignored him. Not that he cared, he didn’t need them to like him.

His classes were boring. History was a complete snooze; he barely kept his eyes open as an old hag droned on and on about the American Revolution. He wouldn’t have doubted her on the subject, since she looked old enough to have lived through it. Math had been terrible, him having left the classroom with a headache almost bad enough for him to cave and beg David to let him leave. Science had been a little better. They were doing review on the food chain and a majority of the hour was spent watching videos on the subject.

Lunch was a different story. He tried his best to stay out of sight, out of mind, but word had gotten around quickly about ‘Mr. Green’s kid.’ A lot of the kids who approached him were easy to get rid of. They’d ask about David, he did his best to be polite while giving an answer, and they’d run off. A few more had stuck around, asking how he knew him and why he was living with him. He’d lost a little bit of his patience with them, especially when they began to prod about his past. But one stood out, simply because he didn’t understand ‘go away’ and ‘don’t fuck with me’.

Max had known the kid was trouble from the moment he walked up to his table. A bigger kid, covered in pimples and towering over the rest of the children, had approached his lonely table with two other boys by his side. He immediately was on edge. There had been plenty of kids like him in his old schools and he was looking for one of two things: to take something from him or to make him cry. He would be getting neither of those things.

“So, here’s the new kid.” he sneered, leaning on the back of a chair.

He had stayed silent, focusing on his lunch. The best way to get rid of an asshole like him was to not rise to the bait. He’d lose interest soon enough.

“Not much of a talker, huh?” he said, “Or are you ignoring me? Cause anyone here will tell you, I don’t like to be ignored.”

Again, he didn’t respond. He’d leave eventually and there was no point in making trouble on the first day. God knew David would probably believe him when he said it wasn’t his fault, but with CPS breathing down their necks…

“I think he’s ignoring you Stan.”

He glanced up when the goon spoke, trying to figure out the best way to get out. Both sides were blocked off by the two other boys and Stan across the table. He couldn’t run and jumping over the table would land him closer to the bully. He could probably duck under the table and make a break for the doors, maybe there would be someplace to hid outside…

“Hey!” the boy, Stan, shouted, drawing Max’s attention, “I’m warning you kid, you better start listening or something bad is gonna happen.”

“Oh, I’m so scared.” Max said, rolling his eyes, “Another older kid, threatening me with a bad time if I don’t listen to every word his says.”

“Looks like he can talk.” he said, glancing at his friends, “You better get over yourself quick, just because your Mr. Green’s kid doesn’t mean shit to me.”

“Are you sure he’s Green’s kid?” the other lacky asked, snickering, “Doesn’t look anything like him.”

“Maybe his momma cheated and pinned him on the stupid fuck.” the first one added, “He’d be dumb enough to believe anything.”

“Leave David out of this.” he said, his grip tightening on his sandwich.

“Hit a nerve, did we?” Stan asked, laughing, “I bet Green knows, he kept you hidden away this long. What happened? Did your mommy leave you behind? Find a better man and make a better kid?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care.” he said, shoving his food back in the bag. He had to get out of here before he did something he regretted. “All I know is I don’t have to take your shit, so go find some nerd to get your kicks from. You’re not getting anything from me.”

“I think we already did.” he said, moving from the chair to lean across the table.

The moment he did, Max grabbed his bag and ducked under the table. Stan’s lackeys immediately tried to block the ends, but he aimed for the open area on the bully’s left. He slipped away, the bully yelling for him to come back. He dashed for the doors, ignoring the concerned voice of the recess monitor, and disappeared into the throng of rowdy school children. He ended up hiding under an older playscape for the entire period.

His last two classes were with his homeroom class: Gym, which they only had on Monday and Wednesday, and English. He hated gym. Their teacher had them do stretches first and then spend the rest of the period running as a punishment for something his class had done the previous week. It hadn’t mattered that he hadn’t been involved, being part of the class meant his got punished too. He’d been starting to slow down when someone had caught his attention.

It was a boy and a girl that he had noticed earlier in the day. The two were messing around near an opening in the bleachers. It was the boy who noticed him first and, after checking to make sure the teacher wasn’t looking, motioned for him to join them. More than willing to skip out on a punishment for something he didn’t do, he followed.

The space was small and cramped, but anything was better than running. The other kids began to snicker, though they tried to keep quiet so not to get the teachers attention. “He makes it too easy!” the girl said, “I mean, come on! This is, like, the fifth time we’ve done this.”

“He’s too focused on the kids who fucked his shit up.” the boy said, before turning his attention to Max, “Shitty that he made you run too. Guess he was trying to not play favorites.”

“Like he’s ever cared about that before.” the girl said, rolling her eyes, “I’m sure that if it had been us who deflated the balls and not his nephews, they’d sit on the sidelines watching the rest of run.”

“Ah, enough about the old bastard.” the boy said, “I’m more interested in you new kid. The name’s Max, right?”

He nodded, watching the two of them carefully. “Yeah, and you?”

“I’m Hunter, and this is Melody.” he said, “And we saw how you stood up to Stan at lunch. No kid around here would dream of talking back, much less bolting like you did. Made him look like an idiot.”

“Not hard to do, all things considered.” Melody chimed in.

“But we like your spirit.” Hunter said, “I know you don’t know us, but feel free to hang around if you see us.”

“Why?” Max asked, confused. No one had ever bothered to make friends with him before Neil and Nikki.

“For one, you’ve got balls.” Hunter said, “We can always use kids that aren’t scared to speak up for themselves. Two, you’re a new kid, just like us. Might as well stick together against the rest of them.”

Melody nodded, a bright grin crossing her face. “Oh, you can join our lunch table and do arts and crafts with us! We’re working on these plastic swords for our English presentation, you can join us! I’m sure Ms. Freeman wouldn’t mind!”

“You had me at swords.” Max said, grinning, “Count me in.”

* * *

Ms. Freeman had been more than willing to let Max join their group for the English assignment. He could tell that she was relieved that he had found friends. Probably had sent David an email about it the moment she sent to work on their project. They had mostly goofed off, but they had explained to him that they had to make stories the previous week that they were to act out on Friday. Melody had given him a copy of their story and told him to get familiar with it at home.

The three had been talking about video games when the bell rang. They had all given sighs of relief. “Well, I guess I’ll see you two tomorrow.” Melody said, gathering her things, “Hunter and I like to meet up at the flagpole before we go to class. Do you want to meet up there?”

Max shrugged. “If David doesn’t walk me to class again, yeah.” he said, getting to his feet, “See you later.”

The two had waved goodbye as Max left, the boy making a beeline for David’s classroom. By the time he reached him, his classroom was empty, and he was just putting the last of his things away.

“Max!” he said, pleased to see him, “How was your first day?”

“It wasn’t terrible.” he said, “Super boring though.”

“Did you make any friends?”

“Don’t know if I consider them friends, but I found kids who don’t make me want to tear my hair out.”

“That’s great!” he said, leading Max out the building, “You can tell me all about them over dinner tonight. I was thinking we could do grilled cheese and soup tonight.”

“Sounds good.” he said, scanning the school grounds for the bullies from earlier. Best to know where they hung about so he could avoid them like the plague. He spotted them hanging around near the buses, tormenting anyone who came to close. Easy enough to avoid.

David noticed his gaze but didn’t say anything. He was familiar with Stan and his friends, many fourth graders confiding in him about the bullying. Part of him had hoped that they would leave Max be, but he knew better. If Max had an issue with him, all he could hope for was that he would come to him if it got too bad. “Do you want to watch a movie when we get home?”

Max shook his head, hopping into the backseat of David’s car. “Thanks, but no thanks. Promised Nikki I’d call her after school.”

“Oh, tell her I said hi.”

He rolled his eyes, pulling out his phone. There were already seven messages from the girl and more coming. God, what was up with her? “Yeah, of course. She’ll probably ask about you, anyway, see if I murdered you in your sleep already.”

“You would never!”

“You want to bet on that?”

David’s silence on the matter was more than enough for Max. “Don’t sweat it camp man. I’m not going to slit your throat in your sleep or some other shit.”

He pretended not to hear his soft sigh of relief. At least he still had some of his reputation through all of this.


End file.
